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.
- Tokophobia and Domestic Violence: The Pathological Fear of Pregnancy and Childbirthby Nader Aghakhani on May 6, 2024
No abstract
- Metaverse-based cardiac magnetic resonance imaging simulation application for overcoming claustrophobia: a preliminary feasibility trialby Ioannis Skalidis on May 3, 2024
Introduction: Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is vital, but claustrophobia affects 10% of patients. The metaverse, an immersive virtual and augmented reality environment, has healthcare potential. We present a metaverse-based CMR simulation for claustrophobic patients. Methods: Three cardiomyopathy patients, initially CMR-refusing due to claustrophobia, received training via a virtual reality headset in a metaverse-based virtual hospital. Training efficacy was assessed through...
- Development and initial validation of an open-access online Behavioral Avoidance Test (BAT) for spider fearby Markus Grill on May 2, 2024
The behavioral avoidance test (BAT) is a well-known diagnostic tool assessing fear by directly measuring avoidance behavior. For instance, in spider phobia, participants or patients gradually approach a live spider until they feel too uncomfortable to continue. However, the use of different BAT protocols in various studies hampers the comparability of results. Moreover, conducting the test requires considerable preparation by researchers and clinicians. Thus, we have developed an open-access...
- Comparison and Agreement between Cardiovascular Computed Tomography-Derived Mid-Diastolic and End-Diastolic Ventricular Volume in Patients with Congenital Heart Diseaseby Daniel Cheong on April 30, 2024
Prospective electrocardiogram (ECG)-triggered cardiovascular computed tomography (CCT) is primarily utilized for anatomical information in congenital heart disease (CHD) and has not been utilized for calculation of the end-diastolic volume (EDV); however, the mid-diastolic volume (MDV) may be measured. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and agreement between ventricular EDV and MDV. 31 retrospectively ECG-gated CCT were analyzed for the study of the 450 consecutive CCT....