What is Claustrophobia?

Does the idea of being enclosed in an elevator scare you? Are you afraid of getting into an underground parking lot or a tunnel? Are you distressed by the idea of travelling by bus, train, or plane? Would you endure to be in a small, closed, dark room for some time?

People suffering from claustrophobia experience an intense fear in situations related to enclosed spaces, such as small rooms, basements, cellars, tunnels, elevators, subways, etc. Generally speaking, these persons' fear is not circumscribed to one of the mentioned situations, on the contrary, the fear and distress are experienced in any situation implying closeness, restriction, or confinement. For instance, being under the hairdresser's dryer, waiting at a line, passing through revolving doors, diving or simply having one's head under water. Furthermore, the fear does not focus just in the enclosed space itself, but in what could happen while being in that space. The person usually fears to run out of air, to suffocate, to not getting any outside help, etc.

Claustrophobia includes two components:

Fear to restriction, that is to be confined to a enclosed space, with the subsequent limitation in movement. The person reports "feeling trapped".
Fear to suffocation. The person reports sensations of lack of air, of asphyxia, etc.
When a person with claustrophobia is in the feared situations, he/she experiences great concern and fear. Body sensations such as palpitations, sweating, shaking, stomach distress, confusion, etc. ate also common. These symptoms disappear quickly after leaving the enclosing situation, but nonetheless the person tries to avoid all those situations.

When confronting the situation, the person tries to protect him/herself from the intense anxiety performing diverse behaviors such as sitting next to a window, sitting at the last row in a movie theater or near to the aisle, etc. Anticipatory anxiety is also very common, accompanied by the recurrent body symptoms and distressing thoughts about the situation.

Claustrophobia is one of the specific phobias with higher prevalence. However, is not common that the person seeks professional help to overcome his/her problem. There are several reasons for that:

• Many persons manage their problem by actively avoiding the enclosed-type situations
• Most of them do not know that their problem may be completely overcome with the appropriate treatment


• Many claustrophobics have resigned themselves and learned how to live with their problem.

It might be that while reading this site you identify yourself with the descriptions of the problem provided above. The Test questions inquire about the presence of some of its features. Although they do not substitute the assessment process necessary to establish a clinical diagnosis, they might be considered as a first approach and a preliminary screening of the problem.

If you also experience a significant distress, or any area of your daily life (leisure, work, school, family, etc.) has been affected by this problem, you might be suffering from claustrophobia. However, remember: this is just a first approach to the assessment process needed before starting any treatment. If you think you might have this problem, seek professional advice so you can decide whether you want or not to receive treatment.