Claustrophiba
Thomas Sampognaro
Claustrophobia
Fear of confined spaces or having limited movement.
How it effects people
People with claustrophobia can find the disorder hard to live with, as they will go to great lengths to avoid small spaces and situations that trigger their panic and anxiety. They will avoid certain places like the subway/underground and will prefer to take the stairs over using a lift/elevator no matter how many floors they need to ascend/descend.
When anxiety levels reach a certain level, the following physical signs of claustrophobia are possible:
- Sweating
- Accelerated heart rate
- Increased blood pressure
- Dizziness
- Hyperventilation
- Hot flashes
- Shaking or trembling
- Panic attacks
- Light-headedness
- Nausea
- Fainting
- Numbness
- Tightness in the chest, sometimes chest pain
Places that will make these people uncomfortable
- elevators
- changing rooms
- tunnels
- basements
- subway trains
- small rooms
- hotel rooms with windows that do not open
- revolving doors
- airplanes
- small cars
- crowded areas
- some medical devices, such as MRI