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Hello, dear readers of the site! Claustrophobia is a pathological fear of closed spaces. Let’s look at the causes, symptoms and main treatments.
What is it like?
Claustrophobia is one of the most well-known phobias to a wide range of people, even children, at the mention of this term, understand what is at stake.
And no wonder, since about 15% of the world’s population experience anxiety when they find themselves in narrow, small rooms.
For example, in the elevator, in the shower, in a cramped office, and even in the bathroom. Moreover, a severe form of pathology is present in 6%.
That is, they are not able to leave their house, since the entrance itself is already the cause of a panic attack and just the thought that suddenly there will be very little space somewhere and they will not be able to escape.
According to statistics, women are diagnosed twice as often as men. Experts explain this by the fact that the beautiful half of humanity is more vulnerable, emotional and sensitive.
Symptoms
The main signs of claustrophobia are the same as those of other types of irrational fear. You can verify this by reading the article, which details each symptom.
So, a person, getting into a frightening situation, begins to sweat a lot, even despite the sub-zero temperature outside. He develops a dry mouth, which makes speech difficult. The voice is already trembling with fear, plus everything else and it’s hard to move your tongue.
Hands and legs tremble, along with the chin, the heart rate increases and blood pressure rises. Sometimes dizziness, nausea and discomfort in the chest. There is a catastrophic lack of air and thoughts arise about the imminent approach of death, which only intensifies the manifestation of symptoms.
It can even lead to fainting, diarrhea or vomiting. A person begins to panic, because of the fear of dying, he loses control of himself and runs the risk of really being injured.
Since it loses the ability to adequately perceive the surrounding reality. In screams and tears, he begins to run wherever his eyes look, not understanding the obstacles and not understanding what he is doing.
For example, he runs out onto the road with busy traffic, jumps out the window, rolls down the stairs without noticing the steps, and so on.
Psychic derealization is also observed. When it seems that everything around is not really real, but only a dream or a figment of his imagination.
Causes
Genetic code
In the genetic code of each person there is information received from ancestors that helped them survive at one time.
It is read at the subconscious level, in the form of an exact feeling of how one should behave at certain moments.
Some call the ability to access the memory of the kind intuition, some «read» knowledge is considered personally their merit. That, for example, he read somewhere, but does not remember where, therefore, he is aware of how to be and what to do.
So, our ancestors lived in rather difficult, harsh conditions. And being in a small, narrow space sometimes symbolized death. Since it did not make it possible to quickly leave it if necessary.
For example, a predator attacked, and it was urgent to flee. And once in a cramped cave, where there are other people who also want to survive, it significantly reduced the chances of doing so.
Psychological trauma
At one time, Sigmund Freud, the famous psychoanalyst, came to the conclusion that the causes of claustrophobia lie in childhood.
Let’s say a child was playing hide-and-seek and climbed into a closet whose door was jammed. And the kid was very scared while waiting for help.
After all, he does not know whether it is possible to die in this case, of course, it is scary that he will now have to stay in the closet forever.
Such thoughts provoke the development of a phobia. Since they are deposited in the subconscious and then, when a similar situation arises, they “pop up”.
Also, parents could lock their child in a fairly small room, for example, in a pantry or in a toilet, as a punishment. Yes, it is trite to put in a corner without the right to move, turn around.
Naturally, the reaction later, already in adulthood, to such conditions will not bring joy and peace.
Education
Parenting style, among other things, affects the formation of a child’s personality. When adults prefer authoritarianism, not encouraging the baby at all. Then he grows up quite vulnerable, with an acute unsatisfied need for love.
Feeling insecure, he can easily get hurt by any minor stress. Gradually bringing yourself to a state where it is already scary to leave the house.
Heredity
Phobias are often inherited. And even if a close relative had a completely different psychiatric diagnosis. Still, there is a high probability of occurrence of the disorder.
But one should take into account the fact that a child, observing the reactions of, say, a mother to getting into a cramped room, will copy them.
Since the parent is an authoritative figure for the baby, who does not yet have experience and knowledge of what is right and what is not. Accordingly, he will decide that the small size of the premises is really unsafe and poses a threat to life.
Physiological features
Brain injuries provoke the development of phobic disorders, as well as problems with the vestibular apparatus. Often, the emotional and physical well-being of a woman during the period of bearing a child, the very process of childbirth, affects.
If they were severe, the baby experienced asphyxia and other injuries, then his anxiety in the future can be completely justified.
He came to this completely unsafe world with difficulties, problems and pain, and therefore treats him with caution and distrust.
Unfortunately, the frequent experience of fear shatters the nervous system, so it fails in the form of a phobia.
How to get an MRI
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered the safest method for diagnosing internal organs and tissues. But not for people who have a fear of closed spaces.
Since it is a large apparatus, where a person is placed in a supine position. The closed-type tomograph has a tunnel with a diameter of 70-80 cm, in some cases 60 cm.
The residence time is from 20 minutes to several hours, depending on the scanning protocol.
And not moving at all, otherwise the quality of the resulting images will be blurry. Which ultimately eliminates all your financial costs and the efforts of doctors. Because the diagnosis cannot be made and the procedure will have to be repeated.
You understand that for a person with a phobia, these conditions are completely unsuitable. It is impossible to spend even a minute in a narrow tunnel, to say nothing of hours.
And since there are a large number of claustrophobic people among the population, an open-type apparatus was also invented. It has no side walls, so the patient has the opportunity to see the room and, in general, feel quite free.
Another plus is that for support, you can take a loved one with you for scanning. And communicate with him at the time of the procedure. Or rather, listen to him, since speaking is not always allowed or possible.
Therefore, if you are scheduled to undergo an MRI, do not be scared right away. Ask your doctor to direct you directly to an open CT room.
But, unfortunately, in some situations you will be refused, and there are good reasons for that. For example, it is tritely simple — there is no such apparatus in the city.
There are also a number of diagnoses in which diagnostics are performed only with the help of a closed circuit (cancer search, MRI of soft tissues or glands).
Recommendations and action plan
- Be sure to notify your doctor and specialists in the office where the diagnosis is carried out about the presence of a disorder. That on your own you will not be able to cope with the surging emotions in case of panic. And so you need support and help. You are either allowed to take a relative with you so that he distracts with conversations. Or they themselves will be nearby throughout the entire time while the tomograph is working.
- Ask the day before what kind of sedative you can take in order to make it easier to transfer the procedure.
- Learn in detail what the machine looks like and how the scan is performed. For example, it will be useful to know that there is a button inside the tunnel, pressing which signals to the doctors that something has gone wrong and it is necessary to suspend the work process, getting you.
- Ask to be placed on your stomach instead of on your back so you can see the room and everything going on in it. You will be allowed, provided that the type of examination itself allows such a position of the body.
- Use headphones, they are available in many clinics. If not, and you are allowed to be distracted by music, bring your own. Or at least earplugs if you’re not going to talk to anyone.
- A bandage for sleeping on the eyes also does not hurt. The distance from the face to the wall of the tomograph is about 25 cm. As you understand, it will be difficult to deal with an anxiety attack in such conditions. But in complete darkness there is more chance to calm down. Especially if you connect your imagination and imagine yourself in your favorite place.
When the phobic disorder is severe and the above recommendations are completely useless, anesthesia is used.
But then the cost of MRI will increase significantly, as well as the process of preparation and conduct. In addition, the health of the patient must be taken into account. Namely, are there any contraindications for medical sleep.
Treatment
To begin with, there are two types of claustrophobia, neurotic and psychotic.
At the first, psychotherapy is prescribed, in rare cases, medications. Since a person is fully aware that in reality no danger threatens him. That fear is, in fact, irrational.
It’s just that nothing can be done with this state, neither calm down, nor stop paying attention to narrow rooms and closed doors in them.
So, drugs are used only as an additional method to bring recovery closer.
For example, antidepressants, sedatives are prescribed. This allows you to reduce anxiety, relax and uplift, or at least stabilize your mood.
The healing process usually takes about two months. Depending on whether the «patient» listened to the recommendations of specialists. And how well he carried out his assignments.
With a psychotic manifestation of the disease, a person does not control his actions and words at all, which is why he harms himself, surrounding people and objects.
Suppose, frightened that the door in the office was closed, he breaks the window and tries to jump out of it, despite the fact that he is currently on the 10th floor.
So in this case, drug treatment is the main, basic, and psychotherapy as an accompaniment and support for the processes of awareness.
Well, by the way, group therapy has proven itself. This is when a certain number of people with similar problems, under the guidance of a psychologist, gather in one space. In order to try to deal with a phobia, to figure out how to get rid of it.
And, of course, share your life story with other participants.
These self-help groups allow you to feel supported and accepted. Indeed, in society they usually laugh at people who are afraid of enclosed spaces.
Devalue their experiences and fantasies. From the outside, it seems that a person invents problems for himself and this amuses. So in everyday life, faced with shame and rejection, claustrophobes “warm up” and heal about their own kind.
Aftermath
If, at the first sign of a disorder, a person does not turn to doctors and psychologists, he risks that one day his life will change completely.
Anxiety and fear will only intensify, they will not disappear by themselves. And it will come to the point that the claustrophobic will simply limit contact with familiar people. Will quit his job and will try to earn a living remotely, at best.
Then he breaks off friendships. Especially if close people insist that he go for a walk and try to overcome himself.
So, complete social isolation will gradually lead to degradation. Which, in turn, will cause a depressive state, weighed down by obsessions.
Unfortunately, without treatment, the case can end in a successful suicide attempt, or other mental illnesses that require hospitalization.
You will learn more about what degradation is and how to deal with it in the article dedicated to this topic.
Completion
Do you know what the phobia of open space is called? Yes, there are people who, on the contrary, are afraid to be in the forest, do not visit shopping centers and do not travel. You can learn more about them here.
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The material was prepared by psychologist, gestalt therapist Zhuravina Alina