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Claustrophobia
Aphobiaisaformofanxietydisorderinwhichsomeonehasanintenseandirrationalfearof certainobjectsorsituations.Anyonesufferingfromhighlevelsofanxietyisatriskofdevelopinga phobia.Oneofthemostcommonphobiasisclaustrophobia,orthefearofenclosedspaces.A personwhohasclaustrophobiamaypanicwheninsidealift,aeroplane,crowdedroomorother confinedarea. Someotherphobias,bornefromanxiety,includesocialphobiafearofembarrassingyourselfin frontofothersandagoraphobia,whichisthefearofopenspaces.Thecauseofanxietydisorders suchasphobiasisthoughttobeacombinationofgeneticvulnerabilityandlifeexperience.With appropriatetreatment,itispossibletoovercomeclaustrophobiaoranyotherphobia.

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Symptoms of an anxiety attack

Ifapersonsufferingfromclaustrophobiasuddenlyfindsthemselvesinanenclosedspace,they mayhaveananxietyattack.Symptomscaninclude: Sweating Acceleratedheartrate Hyperventilation,oroverbreathing Shaking Light-headedness Nausea Fainting Fearofactualharmorillness.

Specific symptoms of claustrophobia

Wheninanenclosedspace,thesignsofclaustrophobiamayinclude: Inside a roomautomaticallycheckingfortheexits,standingneartheexitsorfeeling alarmedwhenalldoorsareclosed. Inside a vehicle, such as a caravoidingtimeswhentrafficisknowntobeheavy. Inside a buildingpreferringtotakethestairsratherthanthelift,andnotbecauseof healthreasons. At a partystandingnearthedoorinacrowdedroom,eveniftheroomislargeand spacious. In extreme casesforapersonwithsevereclaustrophobia,acloseddoorwilltrigger feelingsofpanic.

The catch-22 of avoidance

Onceapersonhasexperiencedanumberofanxietyattacks,theybecomeincreasinglyafraidof experiencinganother.Theystarttoavoidtheobjectsorsituationsthatbringontheattack. However,anycopingtechniquethatreliesonavoidancecanonlymakethephobiaworse.Itseems thatanticipatingthepossibilityofconfinementwithinasmallspaceintensifiesthefeelingsof anxietyandfear.

The thought of treatment can be frightening

Forsomeonewithadisablingphobia,therealisationthatthisfearisirrationalandthattreatmentis neededcancausefurtheranxiety.Sincemosttreatmentoptionsdependonconfrontingthefeared situationorobject,thepersonmayfeelreluctant.

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Supportandencouragementfromfamilyandfriendsiscrucial.Apersontryingtoovercomea phobiamayfindsometreatmentmethodsparticularlychallengingandwillneedtheloveand understandingoftheirsupportpeople.Thetherapistmayevenaskthefamilymembersorfriends toattendcertainsessions,inordertobolsterthecourageofthepersonseekingtreatment.

Treatment for claustrophobia

Treatingphobias,includingclaustrophobia,reliesonpsychologicalmethods.Dependingonthe person,someofthesemethodsmayinclude: Floodingthisisaformofexposuretreatment,wherethepersonisexposedtotheir phobictriggeruntiltheanxietyattackpasses.Therealisationthattheyhaveencountered theirmostdreadedobjectorsituation,andcometonoactualharm,canbeapowerful formoftherapy. Counter-conditioningifthepersonisfartoofearfultoattemptflooding,thencounterconditioningcanbeanoption.Thepersonistaughttousespecificrelaxationand visualisationtechniqueswhenexperiencingphobia-relatedanxiety.Thephobictriggeris slowlyintroduced,step-by-step,whilethepersonconcentratesonattainingphysicaland mentalrelaxation.Eventually,theycanconfrontthesourceoftheirfearwithoutfeeling anxious.Thisisknownassystematicdesensitisation. Modellingthepersonwatchesotherpeopleconfrontthephobictriggerwithoutfearand isencouragedtoimitatethatconfidence. Cognitive behaviour therapy(CBT)thepersonisencouragedtoconfrontandchange thespecificthoughtsandattitudesthatleadtofeelingsoffear. Medicationssuchastranquillisersandantidepressants.Drugsknownasbetablockers maybeusedtotreatthephysicalsymptomsofanxiety,suchasapoundingheart.

Length of treatment
Thepersonmaybetreatedasanoutpatientor,sometimes,asaninpatientiftheirphobiais particularlysevere.Generally,treatmentconsistsofaroundeightto10weeksofbi-weekly sessions.

Where to get help

SaneAustraliaHelplineTel.180018SANE(7263) Yourdoctor Psychologist Psychiatrist Trainedtherapist

Things to remember

Aphobiaisanintenseandirrationalfearofcertainobjectsorsituations. Apersonwhohasclaustrophobiamaypanicwheninsideanenclosedspace,suchasalift, aeroplaneorcrowdedroom. Withappropriatetreatment,itispossibletoovercomeclaustrophobiaoranyotherphobia.

This page has been produced in consultation with, and approved by:

SANEAustralia

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Contentonthiswebsiteisprovidedforeducationandinformationpurposesonly.Information aboutatherapy,service,productortreatmentdoesnotimplyendorsementandisnotintendedto replaceadvicefromyourdoctororotherregisteredhealthprofessional.Contenthasbeen preparedforVictorianresidentsandwiderAustralianaudiences,andwasaccurateatthetimeof publication.Readersshouldnotethat,overtime,currencyandcompletenessoftheinformation maychange.Allusersareurgedtoalwaysseekadvicefromaregisteredhealthcareprofessional fordiagnosisandanswerstotheirmedicalquestions. Forthelatestupdatesandmoreinformation,visitwww.betterhealth.vic.gov.au Copyight 1999/2013StateofVictoria.ReproducedfromtheBetterHealthChannel (www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au)atnocostwithpermissionoftheVictorianMinisterforHealth. Unauthorisedreproductionandotherusescomprisedinthecopyrightareprohibitedwithout permission.

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