CLAUSTROPHOBIA

Claustrophobia is an abnormal fear of narrow and closed spaces. This fear frequently results in panic attacks and can be triggered by certain stimuli such as crowded elevator, getting your head stuck while wearing a shirt and etc. The word claustrophobia originates from Latin claustrum which means "a shut in place" and Greek phobos, which means "fear". Research has shown that approximately 6% of people suffer the disorder worldwide, but the majority are not receiving treatment for it. 

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. A claustrophobic may experience symptoms similar to having an anxiety attack like sweating, accelerated heart rate, hyperventilation, shaking, nausea and fainting.

Claustrophobia is generally the result of an experience in the person's past (usually in their childhood) that has led them to associate small spaces with the feeling of panic or being in imminent danger. Examples of these kinds of past experiences are falling into a deep pool and not being able to swim, being in a crowded area and getting separated from parents or group, crawling into a hole and getting lost or stuck.As the experience will have dealt some kind of trauma to the person, it will affect their ability to deal with a similar situation rationally. The mind links the small space or confined area to the feeling of being in danger and the body then reacts accordingly (or how it thinks it should). This type of cause is known as classic conditioning and can also be a behavior inherited from parents or peers. If for example, a claustrophobic has a child, the child may observe their parent's behavior and develop the same fears.