Claustrophobia: Fear of Enclosed Spaces

Claustrophobia is the intense fear of small, crowded, or confined spaces. For those with claustrophobia, being in an enclosed space causes intense feelings of anxiety and panic. These reactions are often provoked when one feels trapped with no way out. This phobia is a situational type of anxiety disorder, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition. Many types of small or crowded spaces trigger deep fear in someone with claustrophobia. Talkspace therapist and anxiety management expert Bisma Anwar, LMHC, says “some examples of [triggering] situations can be riding in a crowded elevator, getting locked in a windowless room, or driving on a highway. So, if someone experiences a situation like this, they can become highly anxious.”

Many situations may trigger the onset of anxiety or a panic attack in someone claustrophobic. Specific triggers vary from person to person, but generally, any type of enclosed or tight space can cause an anxiety attack. Many people will go out of their way to avoid such triggers to limit their anxiety. 

Spaces that may trigger claustrophobia:

• Crowded elevators
• Small cars, especially driving on a congested highway
• Subways and trains
• Airplanes, especially in turbulence 
• Crowded areas 
• Tunnels
• Basements and cellars
• Small, windowless, or locked rooms
• Revolving doors
• MRI or CT scans
• Car washes
• Dressing rooms
• Public restrooms
• Closets

These spaces are encountered often in everyday life, which is why claustrophobia can be such a challenge to cope with. If you think you have claustrophobia, know that help is available and the condition is treatable.

Encountering enclosed spaces triggers many intense symptoms of anxiety for those with claustrophobia. Anxiety and panic attacks usually include accelerated heart rate, difficulty breathing, and sweating, among other symptoms. Many claustrophobia symptoms are debilitating and uncomfortable, which is why this phobia can severely decrease quality of life. 

Claustrophobia symptoms include:

• Intense anxiety or panic attacks
• Sweating
• Accelerated heart rate
• Shaking
• Feeling light-headed
• Nausea
• Difficulty breathing
• Hyperventilating 
• Fainting
• Headache
• Chest tightness
• Confusion or disorientation

To mitigate these uncomfortable claustrophobic symptoms, individuals with this specific phobia often compulsively check the exits of a room, standing near them when possible. Someone with claustrophobia will go out of their way to avoid triggering places, such as choosing to take the stairs over an elevator, even if it is many flights. When given the choice, a sufferer of claustrophobia will choose open safe spaces to avoid the onset of these intense anxiety symptoms.

Like many mental illnesses, the causes of claustrophobia are complex with a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Fear is a natural instinct for all humans because it helps us survive and find safety, but this instinct becomes extreme for those with claustrophobia. This severe fear can be caused by a past traumatic experience such as abuse, being trapped in a small space, or experiencing bullying. These experiences increase anxiety when a person is confined, and potentially leading or exacerbating claustrophobia. 

Claustrophobia can also be observed and learned from a parent or a peer. If you observe someone close to you who is afraid of enclosed spaces, you are more likely to learn this pattern and have this fear long-term. Those with a claustrophobic parent are more likely to become claustrophobic themselves. 

When it comes to genetic causes, researchers connect claustrophobia to dysfunction of the amygdala, which is the brain’s center for processing fear. People with claustrophobia tend to have a smaller amygdala, which plays a crucial role in causing anxiety, according to the 2009 study. Research published by the American Psychology Association also found that those with claustrophobia misjudge distances as closer than they actually are, which explains why they more readily perceive danger in enclosed or tight spaces.

Additionally, research traces claustrophobia back to a single gene called GPM6A. Mutations of this stress-related gene cause claustrophobia, according to a 2013 study. Mental illness is rarely as simple as one gene, but this finding may provide insight into the genetic factors at play causing the onset of claustrophobia.

A phobia is diagnosable according to the DSM-5 when fear of a situation causes immediate anxiety and significant distress that is irrational and out of proportion for the danger posed. Individuals with a phobia will avoid triggering situations to an extent that impairs normal functioning. Phobias such as claustrophobia are also persistent, lasting 6 months or more. If an individual experiences these reactions to being in confined spaces, they could be diagnosed with claustrophobia if it’s unrelated to another mental illness.