Phobia of not being able to breathe
Claustrophobia: Causes, symptoms, and treatments
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Claustrophobia is a form of anxiety disorder, in which an irrational fear of having no escape or being closed-in can lead to a panic attack.
It is considered a specific phobia according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM-5).
Triggers may include being inside an elevator, a small room without any windows, or even being on an airplane.
Some people have reported that wearing tight-necked clothing can provoke feelings of claustrophobia.
Fast facts on claustrophobia:
Here are some key points about claustrophobia. More detail is in the main article.
- Claustrophobia affects some people when they are in a small space.
- It can lead to feelings of panic.
- Causes may include conditioning and genetic factors.
- A variety of tips and treatments may help people overcome their fear.
The word claustrophobia comes from the Latin word claustrum which means “a closed-in place,” and the Greek word, phobos meaning “fear.”
People with claustrophobia will go to great lengths to avoid small spaces and situations that trigger their panic and anxiety.
They may avoid places like the subway and prefer to take the stairs rather than an elevator, even if many floors are involved.
Up to 5 percent of Americans may experience claustrophobia.
Symptoms may be severe, but many people do not seek treatment.
A psychologist or psychiatrist will ask the patient about their symptoms.
A diagnosis of claustrophobia may emerge during a consultation about another anxiety-related issue.
The psychologist will:
- ask for a description of the symptoms and what triggers them
- try to establish how severe the symptoms are
- rule out other types of anxiety disorder
To establish some details, the doctor may use:
- a claustrophobia questionnaire to help identify the cause of anxiety
- a claustrophobia scale to help establish the levels of anxiety
For a specific phobia to be diagnosed, certain criteria need to be met.
These are:
- a persistent unreasonable or excessive fear caused by the presence or anticipation of a specific situation
- anxiety response when exposed to the stimulus, possibly a panic attack in adults, or, in children, a tantrum, clinging, crying or freezing
- a recognition by adult patients that their fear is out of proportion to the perceived threat or danger
- employing measures to avoid the feared object or situation, or a tendency to face the experiences but with distress or anxiety
- the person’s reaction, anticipation or avoidance interferes with everyday life and relationships or causes significant distress
- the phobia has persisted for some time, usually 6 months or longer
- symptoms cannot be attributed to another mental condition, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Claustrophobia is an anxiety disorder. Symptoms usually appear during childhood or adolescence.
Being in or thinking about being in a confined space can trigger fears of not being able to breathe properly, running out of oxygen, and distress at being restricted.
When anxiety levels reach a certain level, the person may start to experience:
- sweating and chills
- accelerated heart rate and high blood pressure
- dizziness, fainting, and lightheadedness
- dry mouth
- hyperventilation, or “over breathing”
- hot flashes
- shaking or trembling and a sense of “butterflies” in the stomach
- nausea
- headache
- numbness
- a choking sensation
- tightness in the chest, chest pain, and difficulty breathing
- an urge to use the bathroom
- confusion or disorientation
- fear of harm or illness
It is not necessarily the small spaces that trigger the anxiety, but the fear of what can happen to the person if confined to that area.
This is why the person fears running out of oxygen.
Examples of small spaces that could trigger anxiety are:
Share on PinterestClaustrophobia can stem from a feeling of being trapped, and what could happen if they stayed confined to that area.
- elevators or changing rooms in stores
- tunnels, basements, or cellars
- trains and subway trains
- revolving doors
- airplanes
- public toilets
- cars, especially those with central locking
- crowded areas
- automatic car-washes
- some medical facilities, such as MRI scanners
- small rooms, locked rooms, or rooms with windows that do not open
Reactions include:
- checking the exits and staying near them when entering a room
- feeling anxious when all the doors are closed
- staying near the door in a crowded party or gathering
- avoiding driving or traveling as a passenger when traffic is likely to be congested
- using the stairs instead of the elevator, even if this is difficult and uncomfortable
Claustrophobia involves a fear of being restricted or confined to one area, so, having to wait in line at a checkout may also cause it in some people.
Share on PinterestCognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be used to reduce the frequency and potency of the fear reaction’s triggers.
Following a diagnosis, the psychologist may recommend one or more of the following treatment options.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): The aim is to retrain the patient’s mind so that they no longer feel threatened by the places they fear.
It may involve slowly exposing the patient to small spaces and helping them deal with their fear and anxiety.
Having to face the situation that causes the fear may deter people from seeking treatment.
Observing others: Seeing others interact with the source of fear may reassure the patient.
Drug therapy: Antidepressants and relaxants can help manage symptoms, but will not solve the underlying problem.
Relaxation and visualization exercises: Taking deep breaths, meditating and doing muscle-relaxing exercises can help deal with negative thoughts and anxiety.
Alternative or complementary medicine: Some supplements and natural products may help patients manage panic and anxiety.
Some calming oils are available for purchase online, such as lavender oil or “rescue remedies”.
Treatment often lasts around 10 weeks, with sessions twice a week. With appropriate treatment, it is possible to overcome claustrophobia.
Tips for coping
Strategies that can help people cope with claustrophobia include:
- staying put if an attack happens. If driving, this may include pulling over to the side of the road and waiting till symptoms have passed.
- reminding yourself that the frightening thoughts and feelings will pass
- trying to focus on something that is not threatening, for example, the time passing or other people
- breathing slowly and deeply, counting to three on each breath
- challenging the fear by reminding yourself that it is not real
- visualizing positive outcomes and images
Longer-term strategies may include joining a yoga class, working out an exercise program, or booking an aromatherapy massage, to help cope with stress.
Information video
In this video, Stella Lourency, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Emory University, explains that people with higher levels of claustrophobic fear tend to underestimate distances.
Past or childhood experience is often the trigger that causes a person to associate small spaces with a sense of panic or imminent danger.
Experiences that can have this effect may include:
- being trapped or kept in a confined place, by accident or on purpose
- being abused or bullied as a child
- getting separated from parents or friends when in a crowded area
- having a parent with claustrophobia
The trauma experienced at that time will affect the person’s ability to cope with a similar situation rationally in future. This is known as classic conditioning.
The person’s mind is believed to link the small space or confined area with the feeling of being in danger. The body then reacts accordingly, or in a way that seems logical.
Classic conditioning can also be inherited from parents or peers. If a parent, for example, has a fear of being close in, the child may observe their behavior and develop the same fears.
Possible genetic or physical factors
Other theories that may explain claustrophobia include:
Having a smaller amygdala: This is the part of the brain that controls how the body processes fear.
Genetic factors: A dormant evolutionary survival mechanism causes reactions that are no longer needed in today’s world.
Mouse studies have indicated that a single gene may cause some individuals to have a greater degree of “resident-intruder stress.”
One group of researchers has suggested that people who experience claustrophobia perceive things as being nearer than they are, and that this triggers a defense mechanism.
Claustrophobia: Causes, symptoms, and treatments
We include products we think are useful for our readers.
If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Here’s our process.
Claustrophobia is a form of anxiety disorder, in which an irrational fear of having no escape or being closed-in can lead to a panic attack.
It is considered a specific phobia according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM-5).
Triggers may include being inside an elevator, a small room without any windows, or even being on an airplane.
Some people have reported that wearing tight-necked clothing can provoke feelings of claustrophobia.
Fast facts on claustrophobia:
Here are some key points about claustrophobia. More detail is in the main article.
- Claustrophobia affects some people when they are in a small space.
- It can lead to feelings of panic.
- Causes may include conditioning and genetic factors.
- A variety of tips and treatments may help people overcome their fear.
The word claustrophobia comes from the Latin word claustrum which means “a closed-in place,” and the Greek word, phobos meaning “fear.”
People with claustrophobia will go to great lengths to avoid small spaces and situations that trigger their panic and anxiety.
They may avoid places like the subway and prefer to take the stairs rather than an elevator, even if many floors are involved.
Up to 5 percent of Americans may experience claustrophobia.
Symptoms may be severe, but many people do not seek treatment.
A psychologist or psychiatrist will ask the patient about their symptoms.
A diagnosis of claustrophobia may emerge during a consultation about another anxiety-related issue.
The psychologist will:
- ask for a description of the symptoms and what triggers them
- try to establish how severe the symptoms are
- rule out other types of anxiety disorder
To establish some details, the doctor may use:
- a claustrophobia questionnaire to help identify the cause of anxiety
- a claustrophobia scale to help establish the levels of anxiety
For a specific phobia to be diagnosed, certain criteria need to be met.
These are:
- a persistent unreasonable or excessive fear caused by the presence or anticipation of a specific situation
- anxiety response when exposed to the stimulus, possibly a panic attack in adults, or, in children, a tantrum, clinging, crying or freezing
- a recognition by adult patients that their fear is out of proportion to the perceived threat or danger
- employing measures to avoid the feared object or situation, or a tendency to face the experiences but with distress or anxiety
- the person’s reaction, anticipation or avoidance interferes with everyday life and relationships or causes significant distress
- the phobia has persisted for some time, usually 6 months or longer
- symptoms cannot be attributed to another mental condition, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Claustrophobia is an anxiety disorder. Symptoms usually appear during childhood or adolescence.
Being in or thinking about being in a confined space can trigger fears of not being able to breathe properly, running out of oxygen, and distress at being restricted.
When anxiety levels reach a certain level, the person may start to experience:
- sweating and chills
- accelerated heart rate and high blood pressure
- dizziness, fainting, and lightheadedness
- dry mouth
- hyperventilation, or “over breathing”
- hot flashes
- shaking or trembling and a sense of “butterflies” in the stomach
- nausea
- headache
- numbness
- a choking sensation
- tightness in the chest, chest pain, and difficulty breathing
- an urge to use the bathroom
- confusion or disorientation
- fear of harm or illness
It is not necessarily the small spaces that trigger the anxiety, but the fear of what can happen to the person if confined to that area.
This is why the person fears running out of oxygen.
Examples of small spaces that could trigger anxiety are:
Share on PinterestClaustrophobia can stem from a feeling of being trapped, and what could happen if they stayed confined to that area.
- elevators or changing rooms in stores
- tunnels, basements, or cellars
- trains and subway trains
- revolving doors
- airplanes
- public toilets
- cars, especially those with central locking
- crowded areas
- automatic car-washes
- some medical facilities, such as MRI scanners
- small rooms, locked rooms, or rooms with windows that do not open
Reactions include:
- checking the exits and staying near them when entering a room
- feeling anxious when all the doors are closed
- staying near the door in a crowded party or gathering
- avoiding driving or traveling as a passenger when traffic is likely to be congested
- using the stairs instead of the elevator, even if this is difficult and uncomfortable
Claustrophobia involves a fear of being restricted or confined to one area, so, having to wait in line at a checkout may also cause it in some people.
Share on PinterestCognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be used to reduce the frequency and potency of the fear reaction’s triggers.
Following a diagnosis, the psychologist may recommend one or more of the following treatment options.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): The aim is to retrain the patient’s mind so that they no longer feel threatened by the places they fear.
It may involve slowly exposing the patient to small spaces and helping them deal with their fear and anxiety.
Having to face the situation that causes the fear may deter people from seeking treatment.
Observing others: Seeing others interact with the source of fear may reassure the patient.
Drug therapy: Antidepressants and relaxants can help manage symptoms, but will not solve the underlying problem.
Relaxation and visualization exercises: Taking deep breaths, meditating and doing muscle-relaxing exercises can help deal with negative thoughts and anxiety.
Alternative or complementary medicine: Some supplements and natural products may help patients manage panic and anxiety.
Some calming oils are available for purchase online, such as lavender oil or “rescue remedies”.
Treatment often lasts around 10 weeks, with sessions twice a week. With appropriate treatment, it is possible to overcome claustrophobia.
Tips for coping
Strategies that can help people cope with claustrophobia include:
- staying put if an attack happens. If driving, this may include pulling over to the side of the road and waiting till symptoms have passed.
- reminding yourself that the frightening thoughts and feelings will pass
- trying to focus on something that is not threatening, for example, the time passing or other people
- breathing slowly and deeply, counting to three on each breath
- challenging the fear by reminding yourself that it is not real
- visualizing positive outcomes and images
Longer-term strategies may include joining a yoga class, working out an exercise program, or booking an aromatherapy massage, to help cope with stress.
Information video
In this video, Stella Lourency, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Emory University, explains that people with higher levels of claustrophobic fear tend to underestimate distances.
Past or childhood experience is often the trigger that causes a person to associate small spaces with a sense of panic or imminent danger.
Experiences that can have this effect may include:
- being trapped or kept in a confined place, by accident or on purpose
- being abused or bullied as a child
- getting separated from parents or friends when in a crowded area
- having a parent with claustrophobia
The trauma experienced at that time will affect the person’s ability to cope with a similar situation rationally in future. This is known as classic conditioning.
The person’s mind is believed to link the small space or confined area with the feeling of being in danger. The body then reacts accordingly, or in a way that seems logical.
Classic conditioning can also be inherited from parents or peers. If a parent, for example, has a fear of being close in, the child may observe their behavior and develop the same fears.
Possible genetic or physical factors
Other theories that may explain claustrophobia include:
Having a smaller amygdala: This is the part of the brain that controls how the body processes fear.
Genetic factors: A dormant evolutionary survival mechanism causes reactions that are no longer needed in today’s world.
Mouse studies have indicated that a single gene may cause some individuals to have a greater degree of “resident-intruder stress.”
One group of researchers has suggested that people who experience claustrophobia perceive things as being nearer than they are, and that this triggers a defense mechanism.
Fear of suffocation during a panic attack. Fear of lack of air, phobia to suffocate
In order to analyze in more detail such a symptom of a panic attack - lack of air and a state of suffocation, let's remember what a panic attack is, as such, and what are its main symptoms.
So, as many people know, a panic attack is a sudden attack of anxiety and fear without any objective reasons. The state arises absolutely spontaneously, and also suddenly subsides. The main symptomatology lies mainly in the somatic field. According to statistics, 1 out of 20 people suffer from this psychosomatic disease, and young people and women experience it more often than the elderly and men.
Main symptoms:
As noted above, the symptoms of this psychopathy appear absolutely for no reason, in other words, nothing bad happens in the patient's life, the attack is not associated with a stressful situation or any real threat. In addition, unlike other similar destructions, the manifestations of a panic attack pass within 10-30 minutes and do not leave any reminders of themselves, as if they never happened. What are the basic sensations of the patient expressed in:
- Pronounced anxiety , feeling of danger, fear of death and fear of suffocation, without any objective reasons or reasonable explanations
- Tachycardia and dyspnea
- Persistent anginophobia feeling short of breath and fear of suffocation
- Feeling of a lump in the throat
- Neuralgia , chest compression, body pain
- Disorientation in space, dizziness
- Nausea attack , pain in the gastrointestinal tract
- Tremor and numbness of limbs
- Increased sweating , flushing
- Vision problems , veil before eyes
- Feeling unreality of the situation (events can be perceived as in a dream)
One of the fundamental signs, as noted above, is anginophobia.
We will talk about it in more detail in this article.
What is anginophobia
Anginophobia is a persistent fear of suffocation or the inability to breathe. In earlier interpretations, this term meant only the fear of suffocation against the background of a heart attack. In modern psychiatry, the anamnesis of anginophobia is expanded and includes the fear of suffocation or even choking, in general, to face any causes that can stop breathing. The cause of this phobia can be anything, moreover, that does not exist in real life: other people, poor ecology, unhealthy lifestyle, diseases that may not exist. It's important to notice. That anginophobia can also occur in people who are healthy from the point of view of somatics.
Signs and causes of anginophobia
General signs of this particular symptom of panic attacks do not differ much from the main list and include such manifestations as:
- Vertigo disease (dizziness) and disorientation in space
- Feeling sick
- Tachycardia
- Increased sweating
- Gastrointestinal disorder
- Trembling and numbness of limbs
- Numbness, fear of losing speech or inability to say anything
- Discoloration of the skin on the face or body
- Coughing fit and general feeling of being unable to breathe
- Loss of contact with reality , feeling faint
Causes of anginophobia:
It is worth noting that, according to the psychiatric community, anginophobia often comes in combination with such types of neurosis and neurasthenic disorders as anxiety, schizoid, bipolar and cardiophobic (fear of cardiac arrest).
Common causes include:
- Hazardous working conditions and occupations with real life risks, altered environments and confined spaces. Work in mines, at depth, at height (high-rise workers, submariners, miners, firefighters). A subconscious sense of danger can lead to similar neurotic changes.
- Wrong lifestyle and addictions: Alcoholism, drug addiction, substance abuse and even smoking. As well as deliberate provocation of the state of asphyxia, for example, a tendency to suffocate during intimate games.
- Presence of bronchial asthma or allergies . Subconsciously, the patient is afraid that in the end he will not be able to breathe during the next attack.
- Increased suggestibility and information rubbish. Some people attach too much importance to stories and what the media broadcasts.
- Past psychotrauma associated with suffocation. Such a stressful situation can subsequently accompany a person all his life and manifest itself when, in fact, there is no real threat.
- Real serious diseases related to the respiratory or cardiovascular system. Fear of attacks of the past.
How to overcome the fear of suffocation
With a mild course of the disease and moderate symptoms of an attack, a person is able to calm himself and reduce the symptoms to nothing in the shortest possible time.
It is in relation to panic attacks and any of their manifestations that the phrase “saving the drowning is the work of the drowning themselves” comes in very handy. In a situation of an attack, it is extremely important for a person to remember that breathing is a natural process, and by itself it cannot be interrupted. Even the presence of serious pathological changes, such as asthma, for example, cannot lead to suffocation if you monitor your condition and control the course of the disease. In order to minimize possible attacks, it is very important to treat yourself and your body with care and attention, lead a proper lifestyle, control your physical, and above all, your mental state.
Quite often, people are able to anticipate the onset of an attack and calm themselves down on their own or take a number of actions that can help.
What to do during a panic attack. How to quickly relieve a symptom
In the event of an attack, it is important:
- Move away from the edge of the road and from the main streams of people, ideally find a calm, least crowded place.
- If medication is prescribed, take medication as soon as possible.
- Independently shift the focus of attention from internal to external sensations, you can simply start counting up to 100 or look around and name the colors of the surrounding objects.
- Concentrate on sounds and sensations, say out loud what you see, feel or hear.
- Try to find tension in the body and relax.
- Decentralize attention, for example, play a game on the phone
What to do if during a panic attack you suffer from suffocation and lack of air:
- Work with breathing and try to stabilize it yourself.
For 4 seconds a slow breath and for 4 seconds the same exhalation. - Optional bag breathing method to neutralize lung hyperventilation and carbon dioxide concentration.
- Try to exhale as much as possible. Exhalation should be easy, which means that the feeling of the impossibility of inhalation is nothing more than a consequence of neurosis.
If a panic attack overtook a person next to you, the main task is to take him to a quiet deserted place and help stabilize his breathing.
As we already know, one of the most frightening signs for the patient is a feeling of lack of air. Most often, our patients describe this symptom as a state of complete destabilization of breathing.
Difficulty breathing during panic attacks
Shortness of breath is one of the most common and frightening symptoms. In a state of suffocation, it is important for the patient to remember that everything that happens and even real sensations in the body are a consequence of his neurotic state at the moment.
The most dangerous moment is the possibility of a real attack of asphyxia associated with a physical condition, but even here there is a way to calm yourself. Take, for example, a disease such as asthma, which can actually be a symptom of suffocation. So, in this aspect, it is important to know that in a state of neurosis, a person, first of all, cannot inhale, although he does not feel any problems with exhalation, and there may also be a “lump in the throat.” So, with asthma, everything happens the other way around: inhalation is easy, but the asthmatic can no longer exhale or does it with great difficulty.
Is it possible to suffocate from a panic attack
No. If asthma attacks are associated specifically with a panic attack, then this is not dangerous to health. All symptoms disappear as soon as the patient manages to calm down.
Lack of air and the inability to breathe evenly affect the mental state, anginophobia and unregulated fear can prolong the attack and eventually lead to a more severe stage and chronic pathology, for example, develop a generalized disorder, the duration of an attack in which can reach up to 1 hour.
That is why it is extremely important to monitor your condition and try to prevent the development of the chronic form of various disorders.
What can I do to prevent a panic attack from turning into a panic disorder?
First of all. It is necessary to follow the rules of prevention, which we have already talked about in this article: control of one's own condition, the right lifestyle, accompanying body-oriented practices (meditation, yoga, massages, hydrotherapy), correct thinking and avoiding an overabundance of information. However, if the choking attack provoked by a panic attack has happened more than once, then you should immediately contact a specialist. Professional timely treatment can not only prevent the development of various disorders, but also completely nullify the symptoms.
How to treat panic attacks and when to see a specialist
In fact, it is necessary to see a specialist even if you are experiencing an attack for the first time.
There can be a huge number of reasons for a panic attack, which can only be determined by resorting to professional diagnostics. Timely initiation of treatment can save a person from many further problems. It is also worth paying attention to the symptoms. If asthma attacks, accompanied by a feeling of inability to inhale, occur more than 1 time, then this is the sign in which you should immediately contact specialists: a psychotherapist, a neurologist and a psychiatrist. A psychologist will not help in this case, since he works exclusively in the mental field. A panic attack is a psychosomatic disease that affects not only the mental, but primarily the physical plane. Psychotherapeutic treatment includes an integrated approach consisting of medication and psychotherapy.
Definitely will be in the development of a treatment plan. The initial causes that led to the development of panic states, as well as concomitant diseases and individual characteristics of the patient's psyche, were taken into account.
Psychotherapeutic approach
Most often, the most popular method in psychotherapy is the method of CBT (cognitive - behavioral therapy), the main purpose of which is to correct the patient's behavior during an attack and change his perception of what is happening. In other words, this technique can be called fear management lessons. Next, classical psychoanalysis is applied, aimed at finding the underlying causes and possible psychotraumas that led to the current state. Also mandatory will be body-oriented practices that help to relax and learn to be aware of the processes occurring in the body. Quite often, psychotherapy also includes gestalt therapy, which can identify unmet needs and family sessions, in which the specialist works with the patient's relatives in order to teach them first aid and general support.
Drug therapy
A well-chosen course of drugs helps to reduce the frequency and intensity of panic attacks. Most often in modern drug psychotherapy drugs of the following clusters are used:
- Cluster of tranquilizers .
It is used for immediate relief of an attack. It is advised to use with caution and only in a situation of urgent need, since this group has a number of side effects: decreased attention, deconcentration. - Cluster of antidepressants . The use of course therapy is allowed. Aimed at improving mood, relieving anxiety and relieving symptoms of depression.
- Cluster of beta-blockers . Aimed at stopping seizures with pronounced somatics: increased blood pressure, tachycardia, shortness of breath.
- Nootropic Cluster . It has an anti-stress effect, activates the brain and increases the effectiveness of other medicinal groups.
Cluster of nootropics. It has an anti-stress effect, activates the brain and increases the effectiveness of other medicinal groups.
phobia | The CALDA Clinic
Treatment of Phobias
Phobias are a group of clinical anxiety disorders that are quite common in the general population.
The term "phobia" comes from the Greek word "phobos", which can be translated as "fear" or "horror". In particular, well-known examples of phobias include fear of animals, such as arachnophobia (fear of spiders) or ophidiophobia (fear of snakes), as well as fear of certain situations, such as fear of flights or dentists.
In addition to these so-called specific phobias, there are also a number of other types of phobias, such as social phobias and agoraphobia.
The main types of phobias:
-or without a panic disorder
-social phobias
-Specific phobias 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000
How to determine phobia?
A phobia is a largely exaggerated or unreasonably intense fear of certain objects or situations. Fear is so great that it gets out of control, interferes with normal life and can cause panic disorders.
A characteristic feature of all phobias is the desire to completely avoid the object or situation that causes fear.
In the worst case, such avoidance can lead to complete social isolation and the inability to work, as the person no longer dares to leave the house.
What are the symptoms of a phobia?
- People who suffer from a phobia usually know that their exaggerated fear is, from an objective point of view, unfounded. Most of us though a visit to the dentist, an injection, the sight of a spider, etc. unpleasant, yet they can overcome their fear. However, people who have a phobia cannot handle the situation. If the fear-producing stimulus is escaped or cannot be avoided, an immediate fear reaction begins, which can develop into a panic attack.
- In addition to fear or panic, there are usually also physical symptoms for which there is usually no biological cause. These symptoms may even appear as a result of the person simply thinking or seeing a picture of the fear-inducing object or situation. Typical characteristics of a phobia include:
- Trembling
- Sweat attacks
- Palpitations and palpitations
- Sickness
- Diarrhea
- Vertigo
- Drowsiness
- Gastronomic complaints
- Labored breathing
- Dry mouth
- Phobia becomes pathological, mainly due to the fear of fear itself.
This is expressed in an increasingly serious change in behavior that allows (or should allow) to safely avoid the object or situation that causes fear. The following examples can be given: in the case of a fear of spiders, no more going down to the basement or no more leaving the house. In the case of claustrophobia, this can be expressed in the fact that a person can no longer be in a car, train, plane, etc. and therefore he goes only to those places that can be reached on foot from his place of residence. These changes in behavior can be so severe that not only living standards but also professional development opportunities suffer.
What types of phobias exist?
Almost anything can cause a phobia. Therefore, there is an incredible number of different types of phobias. Depending on the type and cause, they can be divided into three main categories:
- Agoraphobia
- Specific phobias
- Social phobias
What is agoraphobia?
Agoraphobia is the fear of being in a place that is difficult to leave in the event of an emergency.
Open public spaces (such as a pedestrian area or crowds), theaters, cinemas, buses and trains, bridges, tunnels, or even shopping malls can cause agoraphobia.
What are social phobias?
Social phobia is a pathological fear of negative evaluation by other people. Panic that a person does not live up to the expectations of others, that he is rejected, or even that he is unpleasant to others, leads to the fact that the person suffering from it persistently tries to leave or by all means avoid falling into the spotlight. This leads to the fact that a person tries, as far as possible, to avoid social contacts. Going out, holidays, eating together, and working together become torture. In extreme cases, this can lead to complete social isolation.
What are specific phobias?
Specific phobias, also called isolated phobias, are the most common type of phobia. They affect about ten percent of the population. Unlike social phobias or agoraphobia, people with isolated phobias are afraid of very specific objects or situations.
These can be animals (such as dogs, snakes, or spiders), places (such as high altitude or crowds), or situations (such as flights, visits to the dentist, or injections, etc.). The range of specific phobias is very wide.
There are five different categories of specific phobias:
- animals (spiders, dogs, insects…)
- natural environment (altitude, thunderstorm, darkness…)
- blood, injuries or medical problems (injections, broken bones, falls…)
- specific situations (flights, trips to the dentist…)
- other (fear of suffocation, drowning, loud noises…)
Causes: Why do phobias occur?
As a rule, phobias do not have a single cause, and they arise as a result of a complex interaction of various factors. The following factors may play a role:
Genetics
A certain tendency to worry can be inherited. This may mean that phobias occur more frequently in some families.
However, this does not mean that family members should suffer from a phobia.
Education
Children learn by example. If parents show increased anxiety in certain situations, this is an alarm signal for the child, and the child, as a rule, intuitively tries to avoid such behavior.
Experiences and lessons learned
Negative or very traumatic experiences, especially in early childhood, can cause phobias. For example, someone who was bitten by a dog when they were a child may develop a fear of dogs.
Metabolism in the brain
Neurologists have discovered that in patients suffering from anxiety, the response to danger is abnormally hyperactivated in the brain. This can be caused by an incorrect balance of neurotransmitters.
Phobias: Commonly associated conditions and secondary conditions
Phobias rarely occur on their own. As a rule, they are accompanied by other mental illnesses.
In patients suffering from mental illness, the following mental illnesses are especially common:
- Depression
- Addictive disorders
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
How to treat phobias?
Thus, phobias are complex mental illnesses because they can be caused by different causes, manifest in different forms and have different symptoms, as well as because they are associated with other diseases and affect daily life and standard of living.
In traditional medicine, phobias are usually treated with psychotherapy and medication.
We have a different approach to treatment!
We have developed The CALDA Specific Phobia Program is a highly effective and intensive weekly program for the treatment of the most common isolated phobias.
We promise: you will get rid of your fears in a week!
The CALDA Principle: That's how we can help you!
As a client of the CALDA clinic, you will receive an individualized therapy tailored to your needs based on the CALDA principle.
This is a personalized and highly effective comprehensive precision therapy. Proven scientific methods of classical medicine are combined with specially proven therapies of alternative medicine, traditional Chinese medicine and orthomolecular medicine.
Benefits for you: Treatment based on the CALDA principle works very effectively at various levels of the body and is clearly problem oriented. As a result, amazing results can be achieved in a short time, usually without the use of psychotropic drugs!
Principle CALDA
Our founding principle and our promise:
We treat the causes, not the symptoms!
As far as possible, we work without the use of psychotropic drugs!
We dedicate our time and all our knowledge exclusively to one client.
The CALDA principle: A correct diagnosis is the basis of any therapy
In accordance with the CALDA principle, the basis of any treatment is a complete and extremely detailed diagnosis.
