We’ve all heard it: “Oh my god stop I’m feeling claustrophobic!” And yes, some of us do feel really uncomfortable in certain spaces such as a small closet or a crowded room. Many of us experience discomfort in certain environments, but claustrophobia is more than just an uncomfortable feeling.

Although many people think that claustrophobia is just the fear of small or dark spaces, claustrophobia also includes rooms that don’t have clear and accessible escape roots such as an elevator, which just so happens to be a small and sometimes dark space. Claustrophobia is not its own disorder, but is typically linked to anxiety.

Claustrophobia is considered to be a symptom of anxiety. One cause of claustrophobia is generalized anxiety disorder. It is believed that the development of anxiety disorder and claustrophobia are correlated but not caused by one another. Additionally, another reason for claustrophobia is panic disorder. If someone has panic disorder they are more likely to panic when in an enclosed space. Social phobia is also a cause of claustrophobia because people with social phobia are constantly worried about having an easy escape from a social situation incase of discomfort. Another cause of claustrophobia is a potential traumatic childhood experience such as being trapped in a small closet when you were little or being hid in a very small space.

To examine claustrophobia more in depth, researchers set up a study in which 35 participants individually stood close to a horizontal line on a wall and a laser pointer was used to inform the participants on the midway point. The participants then moved back a few feet, pointed again, and continued for nine times. As participants distanced themselves from the line , their midway estimates shifted from the left to the right. After analyzing how quickly the participants’ estimates changed, the researchers had enough information to determine the size of each individual’s “near space.” Next, the participants were asked how likely they were to experience claustrophobic symptoms in certain scenarios, such as being stuck in a closet or on a train. The conclusion was that participants with the largest near spaces were the most likely to experience any symptoms of claustrophobia because invading someone’s personal space can trigger feelings of anxiety and even fear. This study shows that whether people experience or the severity of claustrophobia depends on one’s near space. Severity of claustrophobia differs from person to person as seen in this experiment.

Some physical symptoms that may be signals that someone suffers from claustrophobia are sweating, accelerated heartbeat, fainting, light-headedness, shaking, and hyperventilation. Many of these symptoms are similar to disorders that are more likely to cause claustrophobia such as anxiety and panic disorder.

Examples of situations that can induce feelings of claustrophobia are being at a crowded party, being on an airplane, and getting and MRI or CAT scan. Some will react more severely to these situations than others, but these situations are some that are more likely to cause such feelings. Although not everyone who experiences claustrophobic symptoms has a larger disorder, it is still a worthwhile argument that people who do experience symptoms of claustrophobia more severely may have a larger disorder such as anxiety disorder.

Next time you are in a tight space and experience any of the mentioned symptoms or feelings, it may be that you are experiencing at least a small instance of claustrophobia.