This is about a friend of mine who is seriously claustrophobic. He is scared to be any closed space , as in elevators, Close cars, Small bathrooms crowded buses etc.. He feels breathless, helpless and sweaty , and he feels miserable.. Even talking about it, can cause claustrophobia to him. He wakes up middle of the night and runs out of room, to a open space, walk a while and says he feels better with it.
He used to get asthma attacks as a teenager, but is cured of it.Now he is about forty,For the pastone and half years, he has been suffering quite badly, He is quite depressed about it and started thinking that he has a serious mental illness. Can anyone who knows about the subject , please help! How can he deal with this situation? And as a friend , what can l do for him?

Its really hard for me to to give advice, for l have little knowledge of Claustrophobia. Although, l am slightly claustrophobic. When l walk down really crowded halls l feel better if l grab my BF hand & just close my eyes, start breating slower. Its hard to say, many people will find dfferent comforting techniques will or wont work.

A study conducted by S.J. Rachman, an acclaimed expert in the field, shows that cognitive therapy decreased fear & negative thoughts/connotations by an average of around 30% in claustrophobic patients tested, proving it a very effective method.

You can not really do much yourself, other than be supportive when he is in the midst of it. Claustrophobia is considered to be an anxiety disorder. It is usually treated with relaxation techniques, cognitive therapy by targeting fears & perceived triggers, & sometimes hypnosis. He really needs to talk to a therapist. In severe cases, medications such as anti-anxiety meds & even beta-blockers r prescribed. It sounds like he has a genuine problem with this that interferes with his life enough to seek professional help.