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“A thousand fearful images and dire suggestions glance along the mind when it is moody and discontented with itself.� sufferer of claustrophobia
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ESCAPING PHOBIA
“Social phobia is often accompanied by other anxiety disorders or even depression�
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An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to threat
Social phobia affects about over 65% of adults. Women and men are equally likely to develop the disorder, which usually begins in childhood or early adolescence. There is some evidence that genetic factors are involved. Social phobia is often accompanied by other anxiety disorders or depression.
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ANXIETY DISORDER IN WHICH THE SUFFERER HAS A RELENTLESS DREAD OF A SITUATION
“If confronted with the source of their phobia, the person will suffer enormous distress�
Phobia is a persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of a specific thing or situation that compels one to avoid it, despite the awareness and reassurance that it is not dangerous. Individuals with a phobia go to great lengths to avoid a perceived danger which is much greater in their minds than in real life. If confronted with the source of their phobia, the person will suffer enormous distress, which can interfere with their normal function; it can sometimes lead to total panic. For some people, even thinking about their phobia is immensely distressing.
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MANY OF US OUT THERE, BUT ARE WE ONE OF THEM?
“In 2012 between 8.7% and 18.1% of all ages suffer from phobias�
In the industrial nations, phobias are the most common kind of anxiety disorder. Over 50 million people in the USA and 10 million in the UK are thought to live with a phobia. They can affect people of any age, sex, and society economic status. The National Institute of Mental Health estimated in 2012 that between 8.7% and 18.1% of all ages suffer from phobias. Simple phobias usually start early on in life - during childhood, and often go away by the time the person reaches late teens. Complex phobias generally start later on.
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CLAUSTROPHOBIA IS GENERALLY AN INTENSE FEAR OF BEING TRAPPED OR CONFINED IN SMALL SPACES
“The fear is often focused on not being able to escape or not having enough oxygen to breath”
A person dealing with claustrophobia often experiences great anxiety and difficulty breathing in small enclosed spaces and may experience feelings of panic or even have a full panic attack. Unfortunately as with many phobias, there is no easy description of claustrophobia. Individuals with claustrophobia will often enter any enclosed area (such as a movie theatre) and immediately scan their surroundings for the nearest exit. They do their best to avoid small confined spaces such as elevators, basements or cellars, airplanes or even rooms with closed doors. Crowded spaces can also trigger a claustrophobic reaction as exits may be blocked and quick escape may be difficult.
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Claustrophobia
FEAR OF CONFINED SPACE
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SITUATION
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ANXIETY DISORDER IN WHICH THE
SUFFERER HAS AN
IRRATIONAL FEAR Of Having
NO ESCAPE OR
BEING CLOSED IN “anxiety disorder in which the sufferer has an irrational fear of having no escape or being closed in”
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LIVING AND DEALING WITH CLAUSTROPHOBIA CAN BE DIFFICULT AND LIMITING Individual often has to avoid certain situations and places. Example working on the 10th floor of a tall building means taking 10 flights of stairs each morning to avoid the elevator, air travel may be impossible and big parties might be avoided. The good news is that as with other phobias, claustrophobia is treatable.
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CLAUSTROPHOBIA
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I can’t walk into alley. They have these tight, dark, enclosed space. I freak out.
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“a sense of anxiety and fear which lead to difficult in breathing”
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AIR TRAVEL BECOMES DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE – SUFFERER DREAD THAT MOMENT WHEN THE DOORS ‘CLUNK’ SHOT AND ARE ‘TRAPPED’ FOR THE DURATION OF THE JOURNEY. “In extremes some indivudial cannot be in a room unless the door is left ajar”
When in an enclosed space, the signs of claustrophobia may include, on entering a room, hallway, lift (elevator), etc. sufferer first scan for the escape routes and will usually position yourself as near to this as possible. Car journeys can be difficult, particularly if they required to travel on a motorway or even dual carriageway since it is not as easy to ‘escape’ from these. Similarly sufferer may start to avoid travelling at busy times so that they do not get trapped in a traffic jam. Hospital checks involving scans where they are slowly moved through the scanning machine and may be only possible with sedative medication. And it’s not just small rooms, even a large room. If filled with people, will pose a threat unless they can position themself near a doorway. So meetings and parties are avoided.
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CONFINED
SPACE In extreme cases for a person with severe claustrophobia, a closed door will trigger feelings of panic.
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a natural instinctive state of mind-
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EMOTION
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I’ll be
SCREAMING
HELP In my for
MIND “i’ll be screaming for help in my mind”
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ESCAPING EMOTION
“Fear is actually a natural response to a perceived danger”
THE QUESTION WE ASK, HOW DO WE FEAR? AND DO WE ‘FEAR” ALIKE?
No, but we can derive some commonality between how I fear and you fear. Fear is a natural response to life’s trials and tribulations. Unfortunately, many of us overestimate the size of the perceived threat which has caused this fear and set about stressing our mind and body to its limits, without actually considering the probability that this fearful event will neither come to pass, or be as apocalyptic as we had thought. Fear is actually a natural response to a perceived danger or risk which may occur in the future. As such it is impossible to totally alleviate. However, it is possible to overcome fear and reduce the amount of stress caused by the realization of such a threat by immediately analyzing the threat and formulate some solutions or options in advance.
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FEAR IS THE MIND KILLER FEAR IS THE LITTLE DEA H THAT BRINGS TOTAL OBLITERATION. “fear is the mind killer, fear is the little death that brings total obliteration”
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At first it was
EXHILARTING but when I
REALIZED it wasn’t going away,
it became
SCARY “at first it was exhilarting but when i realized it wasnt going away, it became scary”
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If a person suffering from claustrophobia finds themselves in an enclosed space, they may have an anxiety attack. Symptoms can include the following: Sweating Accelerated heart rate Hyperventilation Overbreathing Shaking Light-headedness Nausea Fainting
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treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder
T R E A T M E N T ESCAPING
TREATMENT
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ESCAPING TREATMENT
“Confront the source of their fear without feeling anxious”
TREATING PHOBIAS, INCLUDING CLAUSTROPHOBIA, RELIES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL METHODS
Flooding
A form of exposure treatment, where the person is exposed to their phobic trigger until the anxiety attack passes. The realisation that they have encountered their most dreaded object or situation, and come to no actual harm, can be a powerful form of therapy
Counter-conditioning
If the person is far too fearful to attempt flooding, then counter-conditioning can be an option. The person is taught to use specific relaxation and visualisation techniques when experiencing phobia-related anxiety. The phobic trigger is slowly introduced, step-by-step, while the person concentrates on attaining physical and mental relaxation. Eventually, they can confront the source of their fear without feeling anxious. This is known as systematic desensitisation Continue pg33>
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i would just DOWNPLAY THE SITUATION
& DELUDE MYSELF INTO
thinking that i will be
FINE
“i would just downplay the situation and delude myself into thinking that i will be fine”
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Medications
Such as tranquillisers and antidepressants may also be helpful in addition to psychological treatment.
Hypnosis
Post hypnotic suggestions may also help claustrophobia.
Modelling
The person is encouraged to confront and change the specific thoughts and attitudes that lead to feelings of fea
Relaxation Exercises
Deep breathing, meditating and doing muscle relaxing exercises are effective at dealing with negative thoughts and anxiety.
Cognitive behaviour therapy
The person watches other people confront the phobic trigger without fear and is encouraged to imitate that confidence
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“When you explore your fears then you set yourself free.”
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A BOOK ABOUT CLAUSTROPHOBIA