Claustrophobia

Seeker

Seeker

Redneck Hillbilly
Location
Alabama
Is it genetic or a learned behavior?


I have it ,although it picks when and where it raises it’s head.
I do pretty good at controlling it.
It didn’t hit me until my 30’s.


The reason I ask is because my daughter has it too.
I had to go with her today to get an MRI. It was very difficult for her and as she teared up before laying down on the table , I felt her pain. They allowed me to go in with her and put my hand on her shoulder .She said that was the only way she could do it.


She was older when it started to hit me so I’m not sure I projected my fear on her.


I don’t know anyone in my family that has it , that could have projected it on me.


So what do you think?

Wasn't real sure where to post this one.
 

Seeker, sorry to hear you and you daughter suffer with this, but my husband had trouble with an MRI also, being enclosed in a tube like that, and he has no claustrophobia. Hope she's okay and glad you were there to support her.

I don't know much about it, but from what I read it can be hereditary or learned, perhaps develop from a traumatic experience as a child. There's more info in an article here.

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.
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I’m claustrophobic but mine is caused from situational trauma.
Its not uncommon for people to be afraid of getting an MRI. It’s very common.
The professionals putting you through this procedure should be used to this type of fear and should be able to help you through it. I’d consider talking to them. I guarantee you aren’t the first person that’s had this problem.
Good luck Seeker. You’ll be ok.
 

It's hard to understand . My wife had it. It impacts on your life. We couldn't go anywhere on a plane . She claimed it was from being locked in an attic as a child by her sister. Even surrounded by a crowd brought panic. There always had to be a way out.
 
I have no answer to your original question, Seeker, but I suspect it is a rare person who doesn't feel claustrophobic when getting an MRI. Feeling nervous - even a bit of panic - in this situation is normal and certainly doesn't mean a person is clinically "claustrophobic".

For those facing this procedure, though, I do have one tip. Take a face cloth or small tea towel with you and place it over your eyes before they put you into the tube. It's not a cure-all, but according to one MRI tech it helps for a majority of people. It works for me.
 
I’m not claustrophobic at all but when I had my MRI of shoulder and lower back I was. Everything was okay with the lower spine one but when they did the shoulder the machine closed in even more...it was like being in a coffin.

I will never get another closed MRI again...will request an Open one.
 
I don't like MRIs etc, but I'm not afraid of them. Guess I've worked around& in healthcare facilities long enough not to fear them. Don't love it when a gigantic piece of xray equip is hanging over my head by a wire, haha. Iv had some close calls with tight spaces that I'd rather not go into; just reinforced the wisdom of avoiding them.
 
CeeCee said:
I’m not claustrophobic at all but when I had my MRI of shoulder and lower back I was. Everything was okay with the lower spine one but when they did the shoulder the machine closed in even more...it was like being in a coffin.

I will never get another closed MRI again...will request an Open one.
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Ditto!!!!!
 
Camper6 said:
I dont get it. What could possibly happen to you getting an MRI?
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Nothing but depending on the type you got, you feel like you can’t breathe if it’s really in tight around your head.

Also, you can’t move or they have to start over and if you’re in pain it becomes pretty unbearable, especially if they have to put you in an awkward position.
 
CeeCee said:
Nothing but depending on the type you got, you feel like you can’t breathe if it’s really in tight around your head.

Also, you can’t move or they have to start over and if you’re in pain it becomes pretty unbearable, especially if they have to put you in an awkward position.
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For those with that type of problem they use a tranquilizer.
 
Pappy said:
I never knew that I was that way until they put me into an MRI machine. I damn near broke the panic button pushing it. No way will I ever go into one of those again. Open MRIs don’t bother me at all.
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Ditto....Never again!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
When the ear doctor told me that I had Tinnitis, he sent me for an MRI. I had heard of them, but never experienced any. After I laid down on the table, the Doctor (?) asked me if I had issues with close confinement. I told him that I didn’t think so. He then laid a folded towel over my eyes, had me put the headphones on and asked me what kind of music I liked. I did OK. After about a half hour or so, I got up and left. They had to check and make sure that my Tinnitus wasn’t being caused by a brain tumor.

What I would ask you is, “Have you ever talked about or discussed having Claustrophobia with your daughter?” Even if she has heard about it maybe in school or elsewhere, it could have stuck in her unconsciousness. We humans are like that. My mom came home from the dentist and complained about having a filling without any novacaine and how much it hurt. A few months later, I went to the dentist and was afraid to get into the chair, which I never had been before.
 
oldman said:
We humans are like that. My mom came home from the dentist and complained about having a filling without any novacaine and how much it hurt. A few months later, I went to the dentist and was afraid to get into the chair, which I never had been before.
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Good point. My mother was afraid of swimming and deep water. She did an excellent job hiding it from us kids when we were young, so we wouldn't pick up on her fears and follow suit. She always said she didn't want to wet her hair, so she went no deeper than chest height at the beach or ocean. I never questioned it, she also went on many fishing trips with us in my dad's small boat sometimes on very rough waters. I didn't find out she couldn't swim until after she passed on, then my older sister clued me in. It would have affected me for sure, so I'm glad she kept quiet, but I feel bad for her too, she must have been very stressed at times.
 
Co-incidentally I've just got home from having another closed MRI scan... took 40 minutes so it was a very long one. I don't like them at all, but I've had quite a few over the years so I'm used to them. I don't think of myself as being any more claustrophobic than the next person... but with the lid of the ''coffin'' just a couple of inches from your face it can be scary if you let it. I just close my eyes.. and think myself somewhere else.. but as you rightly pointed out CC.. the hard part of it is lying completely still when you're in a lot of pain and unable to move at all to get comfortable, as it was for me today, absolute agony, and the radiologist had to help me off the table...

In the years I've been having MRI scans I have witnessed grown men crying ..or going into panic mode when they were asked to be in the Scanner, and flatly refusing!! I can't help but feel for them because here we wait weeks sometimes months for MRI scans, and these people would have not had one before and not realised that if they suffered from claustrophobia there would be a problem, and had to leave without their tsts done after such a long wait.. .
 
Ken N Tx said:
The wife and I rode a cable car up to the top of the Saint Louis Arch..We sat shoulder to shoulder..But no MRI ever again!!!
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View attachment 62564
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I am scared of heights, yet I've ridden cable cars in Spain over the mountains and last Thursday ( Valentines Day) I rode the Cable cars 300 feet over the River Thames... absolutely no fear at all...

IMG-0294444.jpg DSCF775333.jpg
 

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