Understanding Cleithrophobia, or the Fear of Being Trapped

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsDiagnosisCausesTreatmentCoping

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Symptoms

Diagnosis

Causes

Treatment

Coping

Does the thought of being trapped in an enclosed space make you shudder? Does your heart start to race when you are locked in a small room? If the thought of being trapped in such situations triggers feelings of intense fear, you might have a type of phobia known as cleithrophobia.

Cleithrophobia, or the fear of being trapped, is a type of specific phobia. The root word for this phobia is from the Greekcleithro, which means to shut or close.

Many events might trigger cleithrophobia, including being locked in a bathroom or other small room. The condition can affect both children and adults and can lead to a range of disruptive and distressing symptoms.

At a GlanceCleithrophobia can leave you frightened of any situation where you might become trapped in a small space. Such fear can lead to rapid breathing, chest pain, dizziness, trembling, and other signs of anxiety. This phobia may be linked to traumatic experiences, but evolutionary and genetic factors may also play a role. While similar (and often confused) with claustrophobia, the two differ in important ways. While it can have a serious impact on your ability to function, therapy and medication can help. Relaxation strategies, like deep breathing and grounding techniques, can also help you better handle your fear.

At a Glance

Cleithrophobia can leave you frightened of any situation where you might become trapped in a small space. Such fear can lead to rapid breathing, chest pain, dizziness, trembling, and other signs of anxiety. This phobia may be linked to traumatic experiences, but evolutionary and genetic factors may also play a role. While similar (and often confused) with claustrophobia, the two differ in important ways. While it can have a serious impact on your ability to function, therapy and medication can help. Relaxation strategies, like deep breathing and grounding techniques, can also help you better handle your fear.

Symptoms of Cleithrophobia

The symptoms of cleithrophobia are similar to those ofother specific phobias.Common symptoms of cleithrophobia include:

If you have this fear, you might experience a panic attack when you feel trapped. Crying, screaming, physically lashing out, freezing up, and attempting to run away are very common.

If you cannot leave the situation, you might start sweating profusely, feel your pulse rate begin to rise, and develop symptoms of physical illness. You will likely be unable to think of anything other than the need to escape.

How Is Cleithrophobia Diagnosed?

A doctor or mental health professional will ask questions about your symptoms to make a diagnosis. They may also take a medical history and conduct lab tests and a physical exam to rule out other conditions.

Cleithrophobia is not recognized as a distinct condition in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” (DSM-5-TR). Instead, it would be classified as a form of specific phobia. To be diagnosed with a specific phobia:

Cleithrophobia vs. Claustrophobia

Cleithrophobia is often confused withclaustrophobiaor the fear of enclosed spaces. While they share some similarities, there are several significant differences between the two conditions.

Claustrophobia may occur at any time. If you have claustrophobia, you might fully intend to enter a small space, such as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) chamber or a motion simulator, yet have apanic attackbefore or during the experience. The specific focus of the phobia itself is the small space.

CleithrophobiaFear of being trappedFine with small spaces if there is a way out; but may cause panic if locked inMay cause anticipatory anxietyClaustrophobiaFear of small spacesMay cause panic when entering small spacesMay cause anticipatory anxiety

CleithrophobiaFear of being trappedFine with small spaces if there is a way out; but may cause panic if locked inMay cause anticipatory anxiety

Fear of being trapped

Fine with small spaces if there is a way out; but may cause panic if locked in

May cause anticipatory anxiety

ClaustrophobiaFear of small spacesMay cause panic when entering small spacesMay cause anticipatory anxiety

Fear of small spaces

May cause panic when entering small spaces

The difference between the two phobias is subtle but important. However, it can be nearly impossible to distinguish between them. Both phobias often causeanticipatory anxiety, in which you begin to panic long before the actual event occurs.

Cleithrophobia may mirror claustrophobia if you see even a slight risk of becoming trapped in the space. Likewise, claustrophobia often mirrors cleithrophobia in that many people with claustrophobia may feel trapped or locked in, even if they are actually free to leave.

The twophobiasmay even exist simultaneously.For these reasons, a trained mental health professional is needed to make the exact diagnosis. The treatment of the two conditions is similar.

What Causes Cleithrophobia?

Experts are not 100% clear on what causes people to develop a fear of being trapped. However, there are a number of factors believed to play a role in the development of cleithrophobia. These may include:

Treatment for Cleithrophobia

Treatment for cleithrophobia depends on your needs and the severity of your symptoms. Options include medication, psychotherapy, and behavioral strategies.

If your symptoms are severe or life-limiting, it is always best to seek advice from amental health professional. Systematic desensitization and othercognitive-behavioraltechniques work very well with phobias.

How to Cope With Cleithrophobia

The anxiety and fear that phobias create can be really hard to deal with. You might even find it hard to function normally in your daily life. If you tend to have milder symptoms, you may find that self-help techniques can be very helpful.

Some strategies that can help ease feelings of anxiety and fear include:

Leaving an escape route, such as cracking the bathroom door or removing the locks from rooms in your home where you might feel trapped, may help you feel calmer in certain situations. But this is not always possible or practical. You may not be able to avoid locked doors in public places.

Some people find that theStop! Techniquehelps curb anxiety, while others find that it does not work in the middle of a panic attack. This technique is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy aimed at stopping racing thoughts or obsessive worrying. When thoughts of the fear arise, you yellStop. At first, you may do so out loud but eventually, you progress to doing so silently.

Takeaways

You should seek help if this phobia is having an impact on employment, relationships, or the ability to enjoy social activities. Although cleithrophobia is unpleasant, it typically responds well to a variety of treatment methods. With hard work, you may get relief from this fear and be able to enjoy more activities in your life without restriction.

What Treatments for Phobias Work Best?

7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Washington, D.C.; 2022.American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Washington, D.C.; 2022.Abend R, Gold AL, Britton JC, et al.Anticipatory threat responding: Associations with anxiety, development, and brain structure.Biol Psychiatry. 2020;87(10):916-925. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.11.006Eaton WW, Bienvenu OJ, Miloyan B.Specific phobias.Lancet Psychiatry. 2018;5(8):678-686. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-XLoken EK, Hettema JM, Aggen SH, Kendler KS.The structure of genetic and environmental risk factors for fears and phobias.Psychol Med. 2014;44(11):2375-2384. doi:10.1017/S0033291713003012Garcia R.Neurobiology of fear and specific phobias.Learn Mem. 2017;24(9):462-471. doi:10.1101/lm.044115.116Thng CEW, Lim-Ashworth NSJ, Poh BZQ, Lim CG.Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: a rapid review.F1000Res. 2020;9:F1000 Faculty Rev-195. doi:10.12688/f1000research.20082.1

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Washington, D.C.; 2022.American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Washington, D.C.; 2022.Abend R, Gold AL, Britton JC, et al.Anticipatory threat responding: Associations with anxiety, development, and brain structure.Biol Psychiatry. 2020;87(10):916-925. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.11.006Eaton WW, Bienvenu OJ, Miloyan B.Specific phobias.Lancet Psychiatry. 2018;5(8):678-686. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-XLoken EK, Hettema JM, Aggen SH, Kendler KS.The structure of genetic and environmental risk factors for fears and phobias.Psychol Med. 2014;44(11):2375-2384. doi:10.1017/S0033291713003012Garcia R.Neurobiology of fear and specific phobias.Learn Mem. 2017;24(9):462-471. doi:10.1101/lm.044115.116Thng CEW, Lim-Ashworth NSJ, Poh BZQ, Lim CG.Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: a rapid review.F1000Res. 2020;9:F1000 Faculty Rev-195. doi:10.12688/f1000research.20082.1

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Washington, D.C.; 2022.American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Washington, D.C.; 2022.Abend R, Gold AL, Britton JC, et al.Anticipatory threat responding: Associations with anxiety, development, and brain structure.Biol Psychiatry. 2020;87(10):916-925. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.11.006Eaton WW, Bienvenu OJ, Miloyan B.Specific phobias.Lancet Psychiatry. 2018;5(8):678-686. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-XLoken EK, Hettema JM, Aggen SH, Kendler KS.The structure of genetic and environmental risk factors for fears and phobias.Psychol Med. 2014;44(11):2375-2384. doi:10.1017/S0033291713003012Garcia R.Neurobiology of fear and specific phobias.Learn Mem. 2017;24(9):462-471. doi:10.1101/lm.044115.116Thng CEW, Lim-Ashworth NSJ, Poh BZQ, Lim CG.Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: a rapid review.F1000Res. 2020;9:F1000 Faculty Rev-195. doi:10.12688/f1000research.20082.1

American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Washington, D.C.; 2022.

Abend R, Gold AL, Britton JC, et al.Anticipatory threat responding: Associations with anxiety, development, and brain structure.Biol Psychiatry. 2020;87(10):916-925. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.11.006

Eaton WW, Bienvenu OJ, Miloyan B.Specific phobias.Lancet Psychiatry. 2018;5(8):678-686. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-X

Loken EK, Hettema JM, Aggen SH, Kendler KS.The structure of genetic and environmental risk factors for fears and phobias.Psychol Med. 2014;44(11):2375-2384. doi:10.1017/S0033291713003012

Garcia R.Neurobiology of fear and specific phobias.Learn Mem. 2017;24(9):462-471. doi:10.1101/lm.044115.116

Thng CEW, Lim-Ashworth NSJ, Poh BZQ, Lim CG.Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: a rapid review.F1000Res. 2020;9:F1000 Faculty Rev-195. doi:10.12688/f1000research.20082.1

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