Claustrophobia
Claustrophobia is the irrational fear of confined spaces.
Some people with claustrophobia experience mild anxiety when in a confined space, while others have severe anxiety or a panic attack. The most common experience is a feeling or fear of losing control.
Cluster Number:
Wiki Number: W043
Diagnosis: Claustrophobia
US Patients:
World Patients: 5-10%
Sex Ratio:
Age Onset:
Brain Area: Smaller amygdala, fight-flight response
Symptoms: fear confined spaces: elevators, windowless rooms, hotel rooms, small cars, tight-necked clothing, MRI machine
Progression: may result in severe panic attacks
Causes: fear of suffocation-release of adrenaline for an autonomic response; fear of restriction
Medications: None listed.
Therapies: 30%- cognitive therapy, convincing that the situation was not dangerous; exposure, 75%; virtual reality
Youtube Video: 5 Steps to Stop Claustrophobia
Amazon or Library Book: Panic Free: The 10-Day Program
to End Panic, Anxiety and Claustrophobia
Click the book to link or order from Amazon.
Support Group: nami.org; 800-9500-6264;
National Alliance on Mental Illness
4 CURRENT ARTICLES
FROM PUBMED
The world-wide medical research
reports chosen for each diagnosis
Clicking each title opens the
PubMed article’s summary-abstract.
- Virtual reality for MRI preparation: Participant perceptions from a feasibility studyby Dr Darren M Hudson on March 23, 2025
CONCLUSION: Participants viewed the VE as a valuable preparatory tool, providing a realistic and acceptable means to familiarise themselves with the process. Their feedback highlights areas for improvement and supports its potential use in practice, underscoring the importance of the public's role in shaping acceptance and future enhancements.
- Brain Volume Metric Analysis Is Correlated with Aging Changes and Sex Differences in Thai Older Adultsby Weerasak Muangpaisan on March 17, 2025
CONCLUSION: Age and sex contributed to differences in brain structure and ventricular volume. These data could be used as a normative reference for clinical interpretation in people up to 85 years old and for understanding the physiological aging-related changes in the brain.
- Using ambient audiovisual experiences to reduce the need for sedation in claustrophobic MRI patientsby T Yan on March 13, 2025
CONCLUSION: An ambient audiovisual experience system showed effectiveness in reducing the use of sedation for claustrophobic MRI patients in the hospital.
- Getting comfortable with physical discomfort: A scoping review of interoceptive exposure in physical and mental health conditionsby Samantha G Farris on February 27, 2025
Interoceptive exposure (IE) involves the use of exercises, activities, or tasks to intentionally induce (or exacerbate) physical symptoms in the body, to challenge misconceptions about the harmful nature of the physical symptoms that maintain fear and problematic avoidance. IE was originally developed for the cognitive behavioral treatment and prevention of panic disorder. Bodily sensations and concern about physical symptoms are common features in many conditions, not limited to panic disorder....