Claustrophobia: Symptoms, Causes & Treatments

Claustrophobia is referred to as a type of specific phobia that involves a fear of tight or enclosed spaces. This can include an elevator, small room, very crowded space, airplane, subway train, tunnel, car wash, bathroom stall, and even in a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine.

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Treatments can include exposure therapy, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET), medication, and relaxation skills. The length of treatment varies based on the severity of claustrophobia symptoms, but a good ballpark is between 6-18 weekly therapy sessions.¹

What Is Claustrophobia?

Claustrophobia is a specific phobia involving the irrational fear of small spaces, which can sometimes lead to a panic attack. A person with claustrophobia knows their fear is irrational, but even thinking about the fear causes anxiety. Many people will go out of their way to avoid the situation that causes anxiety (For example, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or taking a car instead of the train).¹

What Situations Can Trigger Claustrophobia?

Feelings of claustrophobia can be triggered by entering an elevator, a small windowless room, or even an airplane. Wearing tight-necked clothing may also cause feelings of claustrophobia in some people.

How Common Is a Fear of Small Spaces?

It is estimated that claustrophobia affects approximately 12.5% of people, and women are more frequently affected by this phobia than men.¹ Moreover, it is extremely common for people to have multiple phobias. In fact, approximately 75% of people who have a specific phobia fear more than one object or situation.²

Symptoms of Claustrophobia

Claustrophobia is different for everyone. It can be intense anxiety or a full-blown panic attack. Symptom severity depends on how many situations cause anxiety, how long an individual has suffered from claustrophobia, and amount of treatment that was sought.

Symptoms of claustrophobia can include:¹

• Shortness of breath
• Fast heartbeat
• Sweating
• Shaking
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Dry mouth
• Difficulty breathing
• Ringing in ears
• Choking feeling
• Nausea
• Confusion
• Chest pain

When someone is having severe symptoms, these feelings can be very frightening, as they feel they will faint, are losing control or dying even if there is no life-threatening risk.

Symptoms of a Panic Attack

Panic attacks are intense and peak within a few minutes. Panic symptoms can include shortness of breath, sweating, chest pain and tightness. These symptoms are similar to a heart attack, and many people with claustrophobia may seek medical attention, only to find that there is no physical cause of these symptoms.^1,4

What Causes Claustrophobia?

Research is unclear on the exact cause of claustrophobia. Some link it to genetics being passed down through a family, and others say it could be linked to a childhood history of bullying or another traumatic event). If someone suffers from another anxiety disorder they may be more likely to develop claustrophobia.⁴ Another factor may be a defect in a gene called GPM6A that some researchers believe makes an individual prone to claustrophobia.¹

How to Overcome Claustrophobia

There are a wide range of coping strategies that you can use for self-help and better manage and overcome your claustrophobia.

Here are some self-help suggestions for dealing with claustrophobia:

• Use self-help books/podcasts: You can take an active role in your recovery by learning about claustrophobia while also gaining tools that you can practice during high anxiety situations.
• Reach out for help: Reach out to close friends, family and anyone who you know has your back and won’t judge you. This can be beneficial at times when you need to vent or talk about your struggles related to your phobia.
• Learn a grounding technique: There are a wide variety of grounding techniques that can reduce the panic triggered by the fear-inducing situation. One that’s simple and easy to remember is to look down and stare at your feet, which can divert your attention and literally ground you.
• Have a mantra: Find a mantra, affirmation, or anything that you can say to yourself to bring you peace when the panic starts to rise. You can try, ”I am not in danger, I am safe”, or, “This feeling is temporary and it will pass.”
• Incorporate relaxation strategies: Try setting time aside without interruptions and engage in breath work, meditation, mindfulness, and progressive muscle relaxation to calm your senses and decrease anxious feelings.
• Join a support group: When you join a support group you can connect with others who are dealing with similar struggles. This can help you feel less alone, and it can also feel rewarding to share your story and possibly help other people dealing with similar struggles.
• Have a healthy lifestyle: Focus on the basics like eating nutritiously, exercising, getting plentiful rest, tending to your mental health, and other forms of self-care. Having a balance between these things can help to build your resilience to cope with life stressors.

Why Avoidance Can Be a Bad Coping Strategy for Claustrophobia

Avoidance coping is the “go-to” coping strategy among people who battle anxiety and phobias including claustrophobia. This is because it serves as a temporary shield to control the anticipated panic and unwanted emotions associated with enclosed spaces. Although avoidance brings an immediate sense of relief, this maladaptive pattern only perpetuates the phobia. In the long run, the dread that originally led to the avoidance intensifies, and the brain learns that when the fear-provoking situation is dodged, the distress disappears. Consequently, sufferers remain stuck in this cycle which only worsens their condition in the long run.

How Is Claustrophobia Diagnosed?

The process for diagnosing claustrophobia starts with a thorough evaluation conducted by a medical or mental health professional. This examination includes a clinical interview, sometimes questionnaires, and other tools that will inquire about your current symptoms, recent stressors, how the fear impacts your daily life, as well as personal relationships and the possible presence of a mental/general medical disorder, or any other causes that may account for the condition. The objective is to determine if you are presenting with normal fear or with a phobia.¹

To arrive at an accurate diagnosis, you must have all the following qualifications:²

• Fear or anxiety is specific to enclosed spaces like elevators, a small room, etc.
• Intense distress and fear that’s immediately triggered when you encounter a tight space or by thinking about the dreaded situation.
• You actively avoid the specific fear-producing situation or endure it with strong anxiety.
• You have an exaggerated dread that’s disproportionate to the actual threat the situation poses.
• Your symptoms have significantly disrupted daily activities, social interactions, and other important life domains.
• Excessive and uncontrollable fear of confined spaces for at least six months or more.