What are the symptoms of claustrophobia?

　　Symptoms of claustrophobia can generally be observed through specific situational fear, intense physiological reactions, escalating psychological anxiety, obvious avoidance behaviors, and prominent cognitive distortions. A detailed analysis is as follows:

　　1. Specific Situational Fear: Individuals experience intense fear when facing enclosed or confined spaces such as elevators, subways, airplane cabins, or closets. They may feel anxious even before entering such environments, and once inside, their fear escalates rapidly and becomes difficult to control.

　　2. Intense Physiological Reactions: When exposed to feared situations, individuals exhibit clear physiological symptoms, including rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, excessive sweating, dizziness, and nausea. Some may also experience cold hands and feet, muscle tension, and in severe cases, fainting or a sense of impending doom.

　　3. Escalating Psychological Anxiety: Beyond immediate fear, individuals often suffer from persistent anxiety—such as worrying about future exposure to enclosed spaces or repeatedly recalling past frightening experiences—leading to a prolonged state of emotional tension that affects daily mental well-being.

　　4. Obvious Avoidance Behaviors: To avoid distress, individuals deliberately steer clear of any potentially confined environments—for example, choosing to climb stairs instead of taking an elevator, refusing public transportation, or even limiting outdoor activities due to fear of being trapped—significantly restricting their range of movement and daily functioning.

　　5. Prominent Cognitive Distortions: There is an exaggerated perception of danger associated with enclosed spaces; for instance, firmly believing that elevators will malfunction or train compartments will run out of oxygen. Even in the absence of real risk, individuals cannot make rational assessments and become trapped in negative thought patterns such as "something dangerous will definitely happen."

　　If you or someone else exhibits the above symptoms and they are already affecting normal life, it is important to seek timely help from a mental health professional. With professional interventions such as systematic desensitization therapy, fear responses can be gradually reduced, preventing long-term symptom progression and deterioration in quality of life.