Claustrophobia: Causes, symptoms, and treatments
Claustrophobia is the fear of a closed-in place from which escape would be difficult or unlikely.
It is considered a specific phobia according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual five (DSM-5).
Triggers may include being inwards an elevator, a petite room without any windows, or even being on an airplane.
Some people have reported that wearing tight-necked clothing can provoke feelings of claustrophobia.
Contents of this article:
Here are some key points about claustrophobia. More detail is in the main article.
- Claustrophobia affects some people when they are in a puny space.
- It can lead to feelings of funk.
- Causes may include conditioning and genetic factors.
- A multitude of tips and treatments may help people overcome their fear.
What is claustrophobia?
The word claustrophobia comes from the Latin word claustrum which means “a closed-in place,” and the Greek word, phobos meaning “fear.”
People with claustrophobia will go to excellent lengths to avoid petite spaces and situations that trigger their fright and anxiety.
They may avoid places like the subway and choose to take the stairs rather than an elevator, even if many floors are involved.
Up to five percent of Americans may practice claustrophobia. Symptoms may be severe, but many people do not seek treatment.
Signs and symptoms
Claustrophobia is an anxiety disorder. Symptoms usually emerge during childhood or adolescence.
Being in or thinking about being in a limited space can trigger fears of not being able to breathe decently, running out of oxygen, and distress at being restricted.
When anxiety levels reach a certain level, the person may embark to practice:
- sweating and chills
- accelerated heart rate and high blood pressure
- dizziness, fainting, and lightheadedness
- dry mouth
- hyperventilation, or “over breathing”
- hot flashes
- jiggling or shivering and a sense of “butterflies” in the belly
- nausea
- headache
- numbness
- a gasping sensation
- tightness in the chest, chest agony, and difficulty breathing
- an urge to use the bathroom
- confusion or disorientation
- fear of harm or illness
It is not necessarily the puny spaces that trigger the anxiety, but the fear of what can happen to the person if restricted to that area.
This is why the person fears running out of oxygen.
Examples of puny spaces that could trigger anxiety are:
Claustrophobia can stem from a feeling of being trapped, and what could happen if they stayed restrained to that area.
- elevators or switching rooms in stores
- tunnels, basements, or cellars
- trains and subway trains
- revolving doors
- airplanes
- public toilets
- cars, especially those with central locking
- crowded areas
- automatic car-washes
- some medical facilities, such as MRI scanners
- petite rooms, locked rooms, or rooms with windows that do not open
- checking the exits and staying near them when injecting a room
- feeling anxious when all the doors are closed
- staying near the door in a crowded party or gathering
- avoiding driving or traveling as a passenger when traffic is likely to be congested
- using the stairs instead of the elevator, even if this is difficult and awkward
Claustrophobia involves a fear of being restricted or held to one area, so, having to wait in line at a checkout may also cause it in some people.
Causes
Past or childhood practice is often the trigger that causes a person to associate petite spaces with a sense of fright or imminent danger.
Practices that can have this effect may include:
- being trapped or kept in a limited place, by accident or on purpose
- being manhandled or bullied as a child
- getting separated from parents or friends when in a crowded area
- having a parent with claustrophobia
The trauma experienced at that time will affect the person’s capability to cope with a similar situation rationally in future. This is known as classic conditioning.
The person’s mind is believed to link the puny space or restrained area with the feeling of being in danger. The figure then reacts accordingly, or in a way that seems logical.
Classic conditioning can also be inherited from parents or peers. If a parent, for example, has a fear of being close in, the child may observe their behavior and develop the same fears.
Possible genetic or physical factors
Other theories that may explain claustrophobia include:
Having a smaller amygdala: This is the part of the brain that controls how the figure processes fear.
Genetic factors: A dormant evolutionary survival mechanism causes reactions that are no longer needed in today’s world.
Mouse studies have indicated that a single gene may cause some individuals to have a greater degree of “resident-intruder stress.”
One group of researchers has suggested that people who practice claustrophobia perceive things as being nearer than they are, and that this triggers a defense mechanism.
Diagnosis
A psychologist or psychiatrist will ask the patient about their symptoms.
A diagnosis of claustrophobia may emerge during a consultation about another anxiety-related issue.
The psychologist will:
- ask for a description of the symptoms and what triggers them
- attempt to establish how severe the symptoms are
- rule out other types of anxiety disorder
To establish some details, the doctor may use:
- a claustrophobia questionnaire to help identify the cause of anxiety
- a claustrophobia scale to help establish the levels of anxiety
For a specific phobia to be diagnosed, certain criteria need to be met.
- a persistent unreasonable or excessive fear caused by the presence or anticipation of a specific situation
- anxiety response when exposed to the stimulus, possibly a scare attack in adults, or, in children, a tantrum, clinging, howling or freezing
- a recognition by adult patients that their fear is out of proportion to the perceived threat or danger
- employing measures to avoid the feared object or situation, or a tendency to face the practices but with distress or anxiety
- the person’s reaction, anticipation or avoidance interferes with everyday life and relationships or causes significant distress
- the phobia has persisted for some time, usually six months or longer
- symptoms cannot be attributed to another mental condition, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Treatment
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be used to reduce the frequency and potency of the fear reaction’s triggers.
Following a diagnosis, the psychologist may recommend one or more of the following treatment options.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): The aim is to retrain the patient’s mind so that they no longer feel threatened by the places they fear.
It may involve leisurely exposing the patient to petite spaces and helping them deal with their fear and anxiety.
Having to face the situation that causes the fear may deter people from seeking treatment.
Observing others: Eyeing others interact with the source of fear may reassure the patient.
Drug therapy: Antidepressants and relaxants can help manage symptoms, but will not solve the underlying problem.
Entertainment and visualization exercises: Taking deep breaths, meditating and doing muscle-relaxing exercises can help deal with negative thoughts and anxiety.
Alternative or complementary medicine: Some supplements and natural products, for example, lavender oil or a “rescue remedy,” may help patients manage scare and anxiety.
Treatment often lasts around ten weeks, with sessions twice a week. With adequate treatment, it is possible to overcome claustrophobia.
Tips for coping
Strategies that can help people cope with claustrophobia include:
- staying put if an attack happens. If driving, this may include pulling over to the side of the road and waiting till symptoms have passed.
- reminding yourself that the panicking thoughts and feelings will pass
- attempting to concentrate on something that is not menacing, for example, the time passing or other people
- breathing leisurely and deeply, counting to three on each breath
- challenging the fear by reminding yourself that it is not real
- visualizing positive outcomes and pictures
Longer-term strategies may include joining a yoga class, working out an exercise program, or booking an aromatherapy rubdown, to help cope with stress.
Information movie
In this movie, Stella Lourency, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Emory University, explains that people with higher levels of claustrophobic fear tend to underestimate distances.
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Extra information
Article last updated by Yvette Brazier on Fri twenty three June 2017.
References
American Psychological Association. (2011, June). Psychologist identifies what may trigger claustrophobia [Press release]. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/06/claustrophobia.aspx
Davey, G. C. (1997, April). Phobias: A handbook of theory, research, and treatment. Retrieved from http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0471969834.html
El Kordi, A., Kastner, A., Grube, S., Klugmann, M., Begemann, M., Sperling, S., …Ehrenreich, H. (2013). A single gene defect causing claustrophobia. Translational Psychiatry Trio, e254. Retrieved from http://www.nature.com/tp/journal/v3/n4/utter/tp201328a.html
Golkar, A., Selbing, I., Flygare, O., Öhman, A., & Olsson, A. (2013, September Ten). Other people as a means to a safe end: vicarious extinction blocks the come back of a learned fear. Psychological science, 24, 11, 2182-2190. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/six pack/Ten.1177/0956797613489890
Hayano, F. (2009, June). Smaller amygdala is associated with anxiety in patients with funk disorder. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 63, 266–276. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/Ten.1111/j.1440-1819.2009.01960.x/abstract
Öst, L.G. (2007, May). The claustrophobia scale: a psychometric evaluation. Behaviour Research and Therapy 455, 1053-1064. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/scisence/article/pii/S0005796704002487
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Comments (83)
My worse fear is railing the lift or elevator.The narrower it is, the more i just take the stairs just to avoid using one. But if given the choice, i would like to rail the high speed lifts. And to think the average number of floors the buildings i have gone to use the elevator here in our country is twenty eight with the highest i attempted at only forty floors.
My name is Lindsay. For the past two to three weeks I’ve noticed feeling jumpy on crowded buses and metros. I also avoid crowded areas even if it is with people I know. On Monday, I had an enormously bad fright attack on the bus. I commenced looking up different websites to inform myself. All the websites said that the cause is usually from a traumatic practice from childhood. I have never had one. The only thing I can think of is since the anxiety began is a break up. I wouldn’t think that that would be enough to cause this. I am just seeking some opinions
I was at work and was asked to go in inbetween two shelves on a sliding shelf and was closed in.. now I can not get the pic out of my mind and this is not an irrational fear. as it happened. so can not conviance me that the walls will not close in on you. as they did.
Terrible today.. we went for a school excursion to a court and it was only six levels but there were only stair to the 1st. So I had to use the elevator, I couldn’t stop jiggling and sweating, by the time we got to the 6th level I was almost in lears. It’s so horrible! This was over a few seconds too! How can I make this feeling stop?
When im in car i began to felt like someone strangling me and im having this headaches that make me often throwing up in a car or even in a petite place especially in elevator..im tired of this situation..sometimes i feel menace when people sitting very close to me. huh help me please
Yesterday I was in a job interview and I had a bad funk attack. I was sweating,wiggling,headache, and couldnt catch my breath. Once I left the room and was outside I began to feel better. Do this mean anything?
i need your help i dont know where it comes from everytime iam in a crowded bus i get jumpy because i always thing that what if i want to used the bathroom will the bus stop then my belly embarked feeling weird i attempt to think about other things to get rid of this feelings but this happen everytime iam in a crowded bus but when i get off the bus the feeling is gone i been late for work many times because i dont want to take the crowded bus i cant take this anymore please help me i want to get rid of this symtoms that making my life very awkward
I am presently twelve years old. My problem is once when I was junior I went to science center. There was this puny box, you went inwards and the people outside would lock it then you would have to find a key somewhere on the floor, but hen I noticed the walls were closing in, literally. I commenced looking for the key, my heart begin to race, e few seconds later I just lost it! I was banging on the walls screaming, and hyperventilating. Five years later (2010) I was playing with my junior brother he trapped me under a blanket I embarked to funk I thought I couldn’t breathe. Do you think it’s claustrophobia?