Claustrophobia is the fear of closed spaces. A person is afraid to be in a closed space - in a room without windows, an elevator, a tunnel, an underground passage, in the subway, on an airplane, as well as in MRI or CT machines. This is expressed in a feeling of danger due to the lack of exit from a small room and the inability to escape from a confined space. The development of claustrophobia is often associated with traumatic situations experienced in childhood. Treatment of claustrophobia, if it is targeted and not extended to other phobias and diseases, can take only a couple of weeks.
Symptoms of claustrophobia
People suffering from claustrophobia typically fear being physically restricted in their freedom of action and also experience a fear of suffocation. Some patients may feel extremely uncomfortable in the hairdresser's or dentist's chair, or in line at the store. Being confined in space, a person suffering from claustrophobia may begin to fear suffocation and lack of air in the room. At the same time, he experiences precisely irrational fear, realizing that objectively the situation cannot bring him harm.
The presence of claustrophobia brings limitations and often interferes with a person’s normal life.
In addition to fears and psychological conditions, a person may also experience physiological reactions, such as panic attacks. Finding yourself in a confined space or a situation that constrains action, a person may begin to choke, sweat heavily and uncontrollably look for a way out. During an attack, a person may experience palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, and a feeling of an insurmountable threat. Sometimes the attacks are accompanied by fainting, and almost always involve painful emotions.
Such patients prefer to always leave the doors open and be as close to the exit as possible. Their feeling of anxiety increases if, for various reasons, they cannot leave a closed room. As a rule, such people avoid elevators and use only stairs, and also try to avoid crowded places. The presence of claustrophobia brings limitations and often interferes with a person’s normal life. For example, it becomes impossible to do an MRI because the person is terrified of being inside the tomograph.
Traditional methods
In addition to the methods already described, you can use traditional methods. Relaxing herbal teas, aromatic oils, proper nutrition.
Brew valerian root and take a relaxing bath with it. Drink tea with mint or motherwort. Light scented candles with lavender or pine scents. Supplement your diet with grain products, yogurt, fish, legumes and dark chocolate.
Causes of claustrophobia
There are several theories explaining the development of claustrophobia. One of the main reasons is the presence of mental trauma received in childhood or adulthood. A person may accidentally find himself locked in a room without light or windows, or get lost in a maze. Claustrophobia can also develop in a child who once fell into a deep pool or got lost in a large crowd. After such incidents, the child is usually afraid to be left alone in the room. You need to start working with this problem immediately to prevent fear from developing into a phobia.
However, not in all cases there are clear links between the development of phobias and childhood events or past experiences associated with specific fears. It also happens that claustrophobia appears for no apparent reason. For many people, it occurs completely unexpectedly, and until the moment of fear appears, they do not realize that closed spaces can cause them to panic or increase anxiety. Sometimes claustrophobia is a consequence of more serious illnesses. Depression and stress, physical and emotional exhaustion of the body, as well as hormonal disorders can provoke the development of a fear of closed spaces.
Treatment of claustrophobia in children in most cases is much easier and faster than in adults.
Another theory connects claustrophobia with evolutionary developmental mechanisms. After all, for ancient people it was unnatural to be in confined spaces, and the risk of suffocation in a cave was higher than the possibility of dying from suffocation in the open air. Genetically, such adaptation mechanisms could have been preserved in modern humans.
Medicines
Photo: zena.cz
For claustrophobia, courses of taking tranquilizers are prescribed. These drugs have the following effects:
- anti-anxiety (their main effect is to reduce anxiety, fear, restlessness, and eliminate obsessive thoughts);
- vegetostabilizing (consists of reducing vegetative manifestations of anxiety (tachycardia, increased blood pressure, increased sweating, gastrointestinal disorders));
- sedative (calming effect, which, unfortunately, is accompanied by decreased concentration and lethargy);
- muscle relaxant (relaxes the muscles, which is accompanied by a feeling of general weakness and lethargy);
- sleeping pills (accelerates the onset of sleep, increases the depth and duration of sleep).
These drugs are prescribed by a doctor in a course of 2–3 weeks of continuous use. Long-term use of benzodiazepine tranquilizers is not recommended, as dependence may develop. Therefore, if a person still needs to take these drugs for a long time, after the course, they should stop taking the drugs for a while, and then repeat the next course of use. In addition, withdrawal syndrome, which can develop during abrupt withdrawal of tranquilizers, is prevented by gradually reducing the dose and increasing the interval between doses. Contraindications to the prescription of tranquilizers are: liver and respiratory failure, ataxia, glaucoma, myasthenia gravis. Side effects that occur while taking tranquilizers include: drowsiness, general weakness, lethargy, decreased concentration and short-term memory, decreased blood pressure, constipation, nausea, urinary retention or incontinence. Considering all the nuances of these drugs, it is necessary to strictly follow all doctor’s prescriptions.
Antidepressants are prescribed to improve a person's mood and general mental state. The development of the expected effect does not occur immediately after starting to take the drugs, but after approximately 10 days. This is explained by the fact that the development of the antidepressant effect is associated with the accumulation of neurotransmitters in the area of nerve endings and with the slow development of adaptation mechanisms in the circulation of neurotransmitters. As a result, antidepressants are prescribed in a course of continuous use for 3–6 months, during which time the desired effect is gradually achieved.
Treatment of claustrophobia
Treatment of claustrophobia in adult patients is carried out using the exposure method. If a patient suffers from a fear of closed spaces with pronounced anxiety, then first the psychotherapist helps the patient reduce this anxiety using cognitive behavioral psychotherapy techniques. After this, work occurs in the direction of in vitro exposure, that is, imagining a frightening situation of being in a confined space. And only after the patient feels more calm and confident, in vivo exposure begins - training in a confined space. For example, if a person is afraid to be in a closed room, then a specialist, using certain techniques, places him in such a room, where subsequent work takes place. This method helps patients face their fears and learn to work with them. Ultimately, the patient learns to apply the acquired techniques and tools independently, without the help of a psychotherapist. Thus, a person’s fear and the number of negative thoughts are reduced. This is the most effective method of combating various phobias, including claustrophobia.
Treatment of claustrophobia in children in most cases is much easier and faster than in adults. Children have a much more flexible psyche, they are more open to new things. And if a psychotherapist manages to build a trusting relationship with a child, he will happily practice all kinds of techniques and tools without subjecting them to internal criticism.
As a rule, phobias never develop in a targeted manner and are often accompanied by more serious psychiatric disorders. Often, patients who come to be treated for claustrophobia are diagnosed with some additional diseases. Claustrophobia can take mild or severe forms. In the first case, a person can get rid of the fear of closed spaces in just a couple of weeks. If the symptoms of a phobia have become sufficiently entrenched, treatment may last several years.
- Diseases and disorders
Why should you seek help from psychologists?
A person suffering from claustrophobia may be able to cope with the specific incident that triggered the attack. Practice shows that it is better to treat not the symptoms, but to look for the cause of the disease. Meditation techniques and relaxation methods help in the treatment of claustrophobia at different stages of the development of the phobia. Hypnosis is considered an effective method, as well as self-hypnosis techniques, which, when working with a hypnotherapist, give quick results.
We employ practicing psychologists who have effective methods for overcoming fears and anxiety. During your consultation, a specialist will develop an individual assistance program for you. You can find prices for appointments with psychologists in the corresponding section on the website.
Zashirinskaya Oksana Vladimirovna
Diagnostics
How do you know if you have claustrophobia? The best option is to seek help from a psychotherapist. There are three ways to diagnose the disease:
- a conversation during which the main complaints are identified, and conclusions about the symptoms are already drawn from them;
- observation, which allows you to record real external signs of a disorder: leaving a person unnoticed in a closed room for 1-2 minutes;
- questionnaires, questionnaires and tests that allow you to identify the level of anxiety in different life situations.
The second option is to take a claustrophobia test yourself.
Test
Task: Assess the level of anxiety you feel in certain places or situations. Mark or write down the corresponding number on a separate piece of paper:
Test No. 1 - for fear of suffocation
Test No. 2 - for fear of restriction of freedom of action
Interpretation of results
Choking fear test:
- 0-1 point - no claustrophobia;
- 2-9 - average level with a downward trend;
- 10-17 - average level with a tendency to increase;
- more than 18 - pronounced.
Test for fear of restrictions on freedom of action:
- 0-7 points - no claustrophobia;
- 8-20 - average level with a downward trend;
- 21-33 - average level with a tendency to increase;
- more than 34 - pronounced.
Overall level (sum of results of 2 tests):
- less than 10 points - no claustrophobia;
- 11-28 - average level with a downward trend;
- 29-48 - average level with a tendency to increase;
- more than 49 - pronounced.
Attention! If the results of test No. 1 result in more than 18 points, and the overall level is within the normal range, it is considered that the disorder is still present.
Recommendations
If the situation is not so advanced and you are sure that you can handle it yourself, try to fight it on your own, at home. In this case, you should try to adhere to the following tips:
- Avoid talking about closed spaces.
- Do not watch horror films and thrillers, do not read relevant literature, and do not focus on news that is in one way or another related to the disease.
- Smile more often.
- Don't isolate yourself from society. Meet new people, visit friends, fall in love.
- During an attack, focus your attention not on fear, but on some abstract object: start looking at a pattern on the wallpaper or a tree branch outside the window.
- Always carry gadgets with you. When anxiety hits, call someone, or go to social networks and start communicating with someone, or complete the next level of a mobile game.
- Learn one of the breathing exercises, the exercises of which will help you quickly get back on track.
- Sing often.
- Lead a healthy lifestyle: exercise and proper nutrition will reduce the number and severity of attacks. But alcohol, coffee, nicotine and lack of sleep have the opposite effect.
Family and friends can help you get rid of claustrophobia. Be sure to involve them in this - and you will get results faster. What advice do specialized experts give them:
- Don't try to convince a claustrophobe that his fears are groundless because they are irrational.
- Talk to him only about abstract topics that are pleasant to him.
- Touch him more often, stroke him, hug him, say kind words, smile. This behavior can relieve tension during an attack.
- During times of increased anxiety, distract him with conversations, offer to play cities or something similar. Tell a joke and make him smile.
- Be patient. Don't scream, don't lose your temper, don't get angry at him.
A separate topic for all those suffering from claustrophobia is how to undergo an MRI. This procedure is quite lengthy: you need to lie in a closed apparatus for about an hour, and many cannot withstand such torture. But avoiding this diagnostic test is also not an option. Therefore, expert advice again comes to the rescue on what needs to be done:
- Tell your doctor about your phobia. He will take the necessary actions on his part (give a sedative, talk to you, warn the staff).
- Constantly think that the result obtained during an MRI is important for health, and perhaps even life.
- Agree to medicated sleep.
- Find a clinic with an open tomograph.
- Consider computed tomography as an alternative to MRI, but use it only with the permission of a doctor, since it is less informative. But you don’t need to stay in the device for so long.
As the practice and experience of claustrophobes who have undergone this procedure shows, the most effective way is medicated sleep.
