How is claustrophobia diagnosed?

How is claustrophobia diagnosed?

If you have claustrophobia, you have a fear of enclosed spaces and you know it’s a problem because you take great caution in avoiding situations in which you might encounter confined spaces.

Your healthcare provider will want to confirm that your fear is indeed a phobia versus a normal fear and that it’s not the result of a medical condition or psychiatric disorder. Phobias significantly interfere with your ability to live a normal life. Your provider may give you a questionnaire to fill out or ask you directly how your claustrophobia has affected your daily life, how intense your fear feels and how often you feel it, how it affects your interactions with your friends and family and how you cope. Your provider may also ask you other questions about yourself, including recent life changes, stressors, and any medications or supplements that you take.

Your provider may make the diagnosis of claustrophobia if you have all of the following:

• Your fear of enclosed spaces is intense and has been present for six months or longer.
• Your fear or anxiety is about a specific situation or object — in this case, enclosed spaces such as an elevator or small car.
• Your fear and anxiety almost always happen as soon as you encounter your specific fear or think about the feared situation.
• You avoid your feared situation or endure it with intense fear or anxiety.
• Your fear is out of proportion to the actual danger.
• Your fear is causing you significant distress or significantly hampers your ability to function.