Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsPhobias Related to ElevatorsPrevious ExperiencesElevator SafetySafety TipsTreatment Options
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Phobias Related to Elevators
Previous Experiences
Elevator Safety
Safety Tips
Treatment Options
As a more modern invention, it has no official Greek “phobia” name; however, the fear of elevators is relatively common. According to the National Elevator Industry, Inc., elevators provide 18 billion passenger trips in the U.S. each year with millions of passengers repeatedly arriving safely at their destination.Yet, many people feel at least a slight nervousness when contemplating an elevator ride.
Specific Phobia DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria
Elevators represent a number of situations that are common phobias such asclaustrophobia(fear of small spaces),acrophobia(fear of heights),cleithrophobia(fear of being trapped). basophobia (fear of falling), andagoraphobia(fear of public or crowded spaces, where it would be difficult to get help or escape if need be.
Claustrophobia
Claustrophobia is defined as the persistent fear of enclosed spaces such as tunnels, closets, and even the backseat of a car.As a relatively small and confined box, it is easy to see how an elevator could cause a claustrophobic reaction.
Cleithrophobia
Cleithrophobia is a fear of being trapped or locked into a room or space, such as a bathroom, a deep hole, an underground tunnel, or tight-fitting restraints. Think about when the restraint bar fits snugly over you on a roller coaster. The inability to escape is what is terrifying to the person with cleithrophobia, more than it being a small space in the case of claustrophobia. If you worry about being trapped in an elevator, a very rare occurrence, the thought alone could trigger intense fear.
Acrophobia
“Acro” comes from the Greek word meaninghigh.This root word often conjures up imagery of people flying through the air on a trapeze performing death-defying aerial acrobatics. Acrophobia is an intense fear of heights and can make it difficult for people to climb ladders, ride roller coasters, or be anywhere near the top of tall buildings.Elevators can be an anxiety-provoking situation for those who have a fear of heights, especially in tall buildings and skyscrapers.
Basophobia
Fear of falling is another phobia that could aggravate a fear of elevators. Fear of falling can be simply a fear of falling while walking, riding a bike, stepping off a curb, going down a flight of stairs, etc., and doesn’t have to be related to great heights. There is a concern for the consequences of the fall, such as injury, death, and even embarrassment.People may imagine an elevator malfunctioning and plunging to the bottom of the elevator shaft, a type of freefall that would be terrifying and cause injury or death.
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is the fear of being trapped in a situation in which escape would be difficult or impossible, with particular concern about having severe anxiety or apanic attack.According to theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, (fifth edition, text revision) those with agoraphobia typically avoid “clusters” of related situations, like standing in line, being in crowds, open spaces, enclosed spaces (shops, theaters), public transportation, or leaving the home alone. An elevator is often perceived as a place that encompasses several of these scenarios wrapped into one, and would presumably be difficult to escape if a panic attack ensued, and it is not unusual for people with agoraphobia to avoid elevators.
10 of the Most Common Phobias
Many phobias can be traced to a previous experience that caused fright. Those who have been stuck in an elevator, even briefly, may be more likely to develop an elevator phobia. You may have experienced a ride that was more turbulent than other times, or it came to a sudden stop at your floor that made you feel uneasy. Maybe the elevator in your building moves too quickly or more slowly than you are comfortable with. However, the personal experience need not have happened to you for a phobia to develop.
Elevators are prominently featured in action movies and horror films filled with terrifying scenes of people being trapped for long periods, free falling, and being kidnapped, assaulted, or murdered, and so on. This imagery can influence the subconscious or conscious thoughts that run through your mind when waiting for your elevator to arrive.
On the rare occasion that injuries do occur in real life, it is usually because of a failure to maintain and service the elevator properly. But sometimes the passenger takes matters into their own hands when they are stuck in an elevator leading to a preventable injury. These tragic stories are constantly rebroadcast for days in the media, and the video may circulate online for years.
Watching something scary happen in an elevator may be enough to trigger this fear.
The Truth About Elevator Safety
Like anything else in life, riding an elevator carries a risk, albeit small. That’s why the Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation was put into place to educatechildrenand adults about elevators andescalators, and how to ride them safely.
Modern Safety Features
Elevator Accidents Do Occur
Elevator accidents do occasionally occur. According to ConsumerWatch.com, there are less than 30 deaths per year but over 10,000 injuries related to elevators annually.(Compare this to more than 45,000 deaths in motor vehicle accidents, and 5.4 million injuries per year.) The majority of these elevator incidents occur during the installation or servicing of an elevator and it is considered an occupational hazard for elevator construction and maintenance workers.
For the rest of the elevator passengers of the world, there is still a small risk. Elevators do get stuck now and then, and in very rare circumstances, passengers have been trapped for more than a day. Other than hungry, thirsty, inconvenienced, and a bit bored, the passengers are usually just fine.
Even more rarely, something goes catastrophically wrong with an elevator. In 2011, for example, two women died two weeks apart on opposite sides of the country. The accident in California occurred when a woman attempted to climb out of the elevator when the doors opened after it stopped between floors, and the elevator started moving again when she was halfway out. Although investigated, the cause of this elevator malfunction was never fully determined.
The accident in New York City occurred as an employee stepped onto an elevator and it abruptly accelerated upward with the doors still open. The force of the rising elevator brought the employee to her knees, and she was not fully in the elevator as it rose, causing her to be fatally injured. The cause of this incident was clearly due to the maintenance workers who did not properly reconnect a safety system.
While it is impossible to remove all theoretical risks from any machine, the Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation provides a list of safety tips for riders to follow. Among the advice:
For many people, learning the safety rules and becoming familiar with proper elevator operation is enough to curb a mild fear. If your fear is more severe or persistent, however,professional assistancemay be required. Elevator phobias have caused people to turn down good jobs on high floors, avoid visiting loved ones in high-rise hospitals, or push themselves to ascend dozens of flights of stairs.
A mental health professional may use a technique calledexposure therapyusing relaxation skills andsystematic desensitizationto help you overcome your fear of elevators and other contributing phobias.
How Medications Can Help Treat Different Phobias
13 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.
National Elevator Industry, Inc.Fact sheet.
American Psychological Association.Claustrophobia.
Huppert D, Wuehr M, Brandt T.Acrophobia and visual height intolerance: Advances in epidemiology and mechanisms.J Neurol. 2020;267(S1):231-240. doi:10.1007%2Fs00415-020-09805-4
Ghaffari-Rafi A, Horak RD, Miles DT, Eum KS, Jahanmir J.Case report on fear of falling syndrome: A debilitating but curable gait disorder.Am J Case Rep. 2019;20:1587-1591. doi:10.12659%2FAJCR.918879
American Psychological Association.Agoraphobia.
Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation.2020-23 EESF strategic plan.
TKE.Fear of elevators: Are elevators safe?
Social Impact Israel.SDG11- Salamandra Zone – A breath of fresh air in urban living.
ConsumerWatch.com.Elevators.
National Safety Council.Injury facts: Motor vehicle.
Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation.Safety for older adults.
American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Ed. Text Revision. American Psychiatric Association Publishing; 2022.
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