Claustrophobia

Jump to navigation Jump to search
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

Template:DiseaseDisorder infobox

WikiDoc Resources for Claustrophobia

Articles

Most recent articles on Claustrophobia

Most cited articles on Claustrophobia

Review articles on Claustrophobia

Articles on Claustrophobia in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ

Media

Powerpoint slides on Claustrophobia

Images of Claustrophobia

Photos of Claustrophobia

Podcasts & MP3s on Claustrophobia

Videos on Claustrophobia

Evidence Based Medicine

Cochrane Collaboration on Claustrophobia

Bandolier on Claustrophobia

TRIP on Claustrophobia

Clinical Trials

Ongoing Trials on Claustrophobia at Clinical Trials.gov

Trial results on Claustrophobia

Clinical Trials on Claustrophobia at Google

Guidelines / Policies / Govt

US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Claustrophobia

NICE Guidance on Claustrophobia

NHS PRODIGY Guidance

FDA on Claustrophobia

CDC on Claustrophobia

Books

Books on Claustrophobia

News

Claustrophobia in the news

Be alerted to news on Claustrophobia

News trends on Claustrophobia

Commentary

Blogs on Claustrophobia

Definitions

Definitions of Claustrophobia

Patient Resources / Community

Patient resources on Claustrophobia

Discussion groups on Claustrophobia

Patient Handouts on Claustrophobia

Directions to Hospitals Treating Claustrophobia

Risk calculators and risk factors for Claustrophobia

Healthcare Provider Resources

Symptoms of Claustrophobia

Causes & Risk Factors for Claustrophobia

Diagnostic studies for Claustrophobia

Treatment of Claustrophobia

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

CME Programs on Claustrophobia

International

Claustrophobia en Espanol

Claustrophobia en Francais

Business

Claustrophobia in the Marketplace

Patents on Claustrophobia

Experimental / Informatics

List of terms related to Claustrophobia

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

Claustrophobia is an anxiety disorder that involves the fear of enclosed or confined spaces. Claustrophobes may suffer from panic attacks, or fear of having a panic attack, in situations such as being in elevators, trains, boxes or aircraft.

Conversely, people who are prone to having panic attacks will often develop claustrophobia. If a panic attack occurs while they are in a confined space, then the claustrophobe fears not being able to escape the situation. Those suffering from claustrophobia might find it difficult to breathe in closed auditoriums, theatres, and elevators. Like many other disorders, claustrophobia can sometimes develop due to a traumatic incident in childhood.

Claustrophobia can be treated in similar ways to other anxiety disorders, with a range of treatments including cognitive behavior therapy and the use of anti-anxiety medication. Hypnosis is an alternative treatment for claustrophobia.

The name claustrophobia comes from the Latin word claustrum which means "a bolt, a place shut in" and the Greek word phobos meaning "fear".

Frequency

It was found that 5-10.6% of people screened before an MRI scan had claustrophobia. Furthermore, it was found that 7% of patients had unidentified claustrophobia, and had to terminate the scanning procedure prematurely. 30% reported milder distress due to the necessity to lie in a confined space for a long time. For specific phobias in general, there is a lifetime prevalence rate of 7.2%-11.3%.


Colloquial usage

The term "claustrophobic" usually describes claustrophobic people or feelings of claustrophobia. However, in informal conversation, the term has also been used to describe enclosed spaces or situations that may induce feelings of claustrophobia. For example, one could say, "Crowded elevators are claustrophobic."[1]

See also

  • Buried alive
  • Caving, a sport in which practitioners frequently enter enclosed spaces voluntarily

References

  1. claustrophobic. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved September 21, 2007, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/claustrophobic

da:Klaustrofobi de:Klaustrophobie eo:Klaŭstrofobio it:Claustrofobia he:קלאוסטרופוביה nl:Claustrofobie no:Klaustrofobi sk:Klaustrofóbia sr:Клаустрофобија fi:Klaustrofobia sv:Klaustrofobi