There is claustrophobia treatment available for those that have a fear of being shut in a small space. Claustrophobia is typically considered a type of anxiety or panic attack and about 5% of the worlds population suffers from severe claustrophobia. Unfortunately only a small number of those affected actually have received any treatment for overcoming this fear.
Two key symptoms have been discovered for those that suffer from claustrophobia and they include the fear of being restricted or in a restrictive place and the fear of suffocation. Some such circumstances that can evoke this fear include being in a cellar, caves, tunnels, cars, locked rooms, elevators, crowded areas, small rooms and subway trains to name just a few situations. However some individuals may have a response when they are told to stay in one spot such as waiting online or getting their hair cut.
A very successful method of treatment is cognitive therapy as this is also used for many other anxiety disorders. Besides overcoming the fear of a specific situation it is also good for those that fear the results of being in that situation. The basics mechanism works by changes a persons response to small places. So instead of getting anxious in an elevator they instead have the opposite response of feeling very calm.
There is also in vivo exposure that is used as treatment and this completely exposes patients to their fears and to face this fear. This tends to be done in a progressive fashion so you start small and then work your way up. The success rate of using this is very high but the patient needs to be properly supported and eventually their negative response to small spaces goes away.
Another treatment that does not have as high success rates as the previous two mentioned methods is interceptive exposure. So the patient is actually in a controlled environment and you try to evoke their symptoms to help them get over them.
This is similar to in vivo treatment but much less intense. You also can trace the claustrophobia back to its cause, normally a certain event, and use behavioral therapy to change your response.
Behavioral therapy is the most successful though many doctors will also prescribe drugs. The most common are beta blockers and other antidepressants though these can have some serious side effects and many people would prefer not to use medication. Though for those with severe issues a combination of behavioral and mediation can be very effective as long as you keep a close eye on the medication.
Marcelo Quijanios is a research journalist. Currently he is investigating a new method to alleviate him of his anxiety panic attacks. The testimonials about this treatment are very promising and say to have helped a lot of people in the past.