What Is Claustrophobia?

Claustrophobia is an anxiety disorder in which someone has an intense and irrational fear of confined or enclosed spaces. A person who suffers from claustrophobia may break into a panic when inside a lift (elevator), a bus, an aeroplane, a room with lots of people or any confined space.



What are the symptoms?


These symptoms may be relevant to many types of phobias (irrational fears):


-- Sweating

-- Accelerated heart rate

-- Hyperventilation, or 'over-breathing'

-- Shaking

-- Light-headedness

-- Nausea

-- Fainting

-- Fear of actual harm or illness.


A person with claustrophobia may:


-- When entering a room, start checking for where the exits are. Position himself/herself near the exits. Feel very uneasy when all the doors are shut.


-- Avoid driving or entering a car during times of day when traffic is most likely to be congested.


-- Opt for using the stairs rather than the lift (elevator). The reason being fear, rather than the extra exercise.


-- Stand near the door at a crowded party - even if it is a large and spacious room.


-- Panic when a door is closed and he/she is inside (more severe).


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