Claustrophobia

Claustrophobia or fear of closed, closed, cramped premises can lie in wait everywhere: in the elevator, shower, airplane, in the solarium. Places where many people - theaters, shopping centers - also represent a danger to a person with claustrophobia.

A terrible panic can provoke even clothing that fits snugly around the neck (for example, a tie). A spontaneous feeling of anxiety often causes panic attacks - a rapid, episodic manifestation of unexplained anxiety accompanied by somatic (vegetative) symptoms. Among the factors that affect the development of claustrophobia, distinguish: disorders of brain activity, classical conditioning or genetic predisposition.

Claustrophobia is one of five "spatial" fears, along with a fear of height, darkness, depth and agoraphobia. A person with claustrophobia experiences that he will not be well, he will lose control of himself, he will faint. The habit of being closer to the exit is explained by the panic fear of being unable to get out of the room.

[1], [2]

Causes of claustrophobia

Very often, fears have a genetic predisposition, are cultivated in the family. Note that those who want changes and accomplishments, but who are afraid of stability, people have all the signs of claustrophobia. Patients-claustrophobic instinctively seek new discoveries, are afraid of limiting personal rights and freedoms. Of course, a person is not born with claustrophobia, but easily absorbs established attitudes toward things that threaten safety, health and survival. For example, one parent is afraid of an enclosed space. Constant experiences about the trip in the elevator, he will easily transfer to his child. After all, the elevator is a threat, it's better to walk the stairs, so it's safer. The launch of the mechanism itself is also activated due to the fault of the parents, when they lock the baby in the closet as punishment, accidentally close it in the closet, or it falls into an unfenced pool, long sits alone in a locked car, lost in a crowd of people, etc. This can add problems during childbirth, when the child is stuck in the birth canal. Statistics say that such an episode is imprinted in the subconscious and there is a great risk of claustrophobia with age. Head injuries, various brain diseases are also the causes of fear. Claustrophobia, the reasons for its emergence lie in the internal conflicts of a person, most of whom come from childhood.

The role of tonsils in the process of controlling fear with the result in the form of struggle or flight is interesting. The upper part of the amygdala at the level of the nuclei produces impulses that affect: nervous excitement, respiratory rate, adrenaline level, increased pressure, contraction of the heart muscle. There are various behavioral reactions - protection, fear, stupor, etc. The attack of claustrophobia is characterized by excessive emotionality, a sense of physical limitation and a loop on the problem. It was found that in people with panic disorders the right amygdala is smaller than the left one.

[3], [4]

Symptoms of claustrophobia

Claustrophobia, the symptoms of its appearance can be divided into two main: 

1. fear of restraint of freedom; 
2. fear of suffocation.

Claustrophobes are afraid of typical situations - staying in a cave, elevator, a room without windows, a trip in a car or a subway car, staying in crowded places. There are less common cases - an armchair in a hairdresser or in dentistry, the standard turn for products. Fear of deprivation of liberty increases palpitation, gives rise to a sense of danger, as a result, dyspnea and profuse sweating appear.

Objective symptoms of claustrophobia are suffocation, dryness and perspiration in the throat, as a result - cough. The attack of claustrophobia is accompanied by a desire to rip off their clothes in the hope of obtaining a long-awaited surge of air. Any combination of these symptoms can cause a panic attack.

Attack of claustrophobia

An attack of claustrophobia or panic attack occurs instantaneously and manifests an unexplained anxiety with signs of vegetative disorders. Disappears when eliminating the cause of fear. However, the consequences can be felt for several days after the incident.

Sometimes, a person has anxiety before waiting for another attack of claustrophobia. Fear of phobia develops in situations similar to those when there was a panic attack. The attack of claustrophobia and its consequences change, their morbidity grows with time, therefore it is necessary to consult a doctor in a timely manner. After experiencing a panic attack, people describe a wild fear, a sense of the proximity of death. Many of them are confident that they are going crazy, are prone to heart attacks, they have instant vision or tunnel vision. Feeling of weakness, nausea is replaced by numbness of part or the whole body, difficult breathing, fear of losing control - all this makes a person flee.

An attack of claustrophobia can be caused by pathologies of the cardiovascular system, mental illness, dysfunction of the thyroid gland or adrenal gland, diabetes mellitus. Depression, prolonged emotional stress, physical and mental exhaustion of the body, hormonal disorders, etc. - also causes a panic attack. Naturally more emotional, women are most prone to such a disease. Repeated attacks of claustrophobia, constant anxiety deprive a person of a normal life, gradually driving him into a limited framework. There is a fear of leaving the apartment unaccompanied.

[5], [6]

Claustrophobic treatment

Treatment of claustrophobia and its attacks is carried out with the use of beta-blockers and antidepressants, which reduce excessive palpitation and excessive anxiety. Cognitive therapy techniques are used, the therapeutic effect of which is achieved by immersion in a state of fear. The technique is most effective for getting rid of a lot of known phobias. The patient at the same time copes with the problem independently under the guidance of a specialist. Effects on the human psyche begin with a minimum level of stress situations and increase to the maximum amount of discomfort. The patient is taught the methods of relaxation. Hypnosis and the method of respiratory retraining also help to cope with phobia. In hypnotic trance, the cause of claustrophobia emerges. Respiratory training teaches how to deal with claustrophobia, blocking it at the time of its appearance.

[7], [8], [9]

How to deal with claustrophobia?

At the next attack it is important to learn to relax: 

• breathing in and out for the normalization of the respiratory process; 
• imagine something joyful: a warm rain sheds warm water on you; 
• stop looking at any subject, study it in detail with all the shortcomings, defects and merits; 
• make a conversation with someone; 
• psychologists advise to include music and rhythmically move to its sounds, sing along.

How to get rid of claustrophobia? Only desire is not enough, a man must believe in his own forces to overcome fear. Any phobia is a realized thought form. In this case, work with visualization can help: imagine yourself in a confined space, do not panic, on the contrary feel calm and relaxed. From the images gradually go to the action. Start with a few seconds, then minutes and increase the time spent in "dangerous" areas.

Phobias are vulnerable to particularly sensitive individuals, subtly capturing the experiences, fears, negative emotions of their environment. The desire to help all suffering people can play with you a cruel joke in the form of glut of someone else's emotions, the emergence of phobias. You should not burden yourself with unbearable burdens, get involved on subtle plans in the problems of other people. Understand your life to be able to rejoice and enjoy every day.

Claustrophobia manifests itself in different ways, with varying strength and degree of neglect. There may be only a mild fright in a confined space or on the contrary a severe panic. How to get rid of claustrophobia when running forms? There is only one answer to this question - treatment with the involvement of a specialist.