Is there a link between claustrophobia and ptsd?

[OldTiger]

I got my PTSD from working in a prison. if I go out in public and there is no exit or a crowd cornering me I have to get out immediately to an open space. It feels like I am being suffocated by danger around me and I can't escape.

 

[bellbird]

Hey @OldTiger , welcome to the forum :)

To respond to your thread title: there would be a link between claustrophobia and PTSD if your trauma was related to being in a confined space and feeling unable to escape, as you detail for your experience in your post.

People can have phobias and PTSD with no causal link.
Just as people can have phobias and PTSD -with- a causal link. It's case specific :)

 

[Freida]

I'm terribly claustrophobic because of my ptsd but I can see the line that links the two.
Could you possibly be feeling hyper vigilant instead of claustrophobic? that's the whole having to watch the exits, always expecting things to go to crap feeling??

 

[Friday]

I’m not claustrophobic at all, in point of fact still take a great deal of pleasure in wriggling through tight spaces, when I get the chance ... but being trapped? Get me the f*ck up outta here!!! I have zip zero made zilch issues with small spaces. Confinement, on the other hand, I lose my ever lovin’ mind over.

***

I know the exits. (Whether a building, or city, or mountain pass). I have routes mapped with various time delays built in (if that wall comes down, if a crowd blocks that space, if weapons, if that steam vent breaks, if this road is blocked, if that river rises, etc.), I know the choke points, and weak spots... of almost everywhere I go.

When I’m doing well? It’s just background noise. The same way people note crosswalks on busy streets, or curves in the road they’re driving on. I don’t have to think about it. It just ticks along, creating a mental map as I go. And I adapt easily to changing circumstance.

When I’m doin badly? It’s exhausting. And infuriating. And demoralizing. And often impossible (even trying to do it consciously, I can’t focus because I’m too tunnel visioned / worked up (good for a close quarter fight, bad for walking through a building with multiple points of ingress/egress :confused: ). There are a lot of times I simply flat out refuse to enter a space that is going to do my head in. Much like a balking horse at a jump. Nope. Not happening. I’m not going to deal with THAT. No.

 

[Kubash16]

I’m not sure what you would call me but it definitely relates to my PTSD. I can handle tight spaces just fine, they actually are comforting to a degree. I don’t like feeling trapped but if it’s just me or someone I’m close to with me I can handle not having a clear exit for the most part. Now crowds I can’t do. I can’t do sporting events, or concerts, or Black Friday where everyone is tripping over each other and in my space and then some serious panic will set in for me.

 

[lynn T.]

I got my PTSD from working in a prison. if I go out in public and there is no exit or a crowd cornering me I have to get out immediately to an open space. It feels like I am being suffocated by danger around me and I can't escape.

I can relate to this, and I do feel mine correlates directly to domestic abuse (being held in a closet against me will) and in childhood (father drunk and breaking into our home). It's resulted in some panic if I feel there is no exit handy. I don't like motel rooms without sliding doors out to a balcony. I don't like shopping malls because once you're in that vast of an enclosed space, esp. when it's crowded, I sense there's no easy way out of there. I feel best when outdoors in nature walking. Often, I wear a cap when driving as it eliminates some of that peripheral vision stimulation and helps focus me in on what's right in front of me. There may be other tips to reduce the feeling of over-stimulation from others here. When I was younger, I had heavy responsibilities in my career and was good at multi-tasking. However now, really feel better if I can reduce the stimuli. I think it's valuable to identify those stimuli and find some answers to what helps, lest we cave in to feeling grossly disorganized and fearful. I love the word "discombobulated". It can happen!

 

[Abstract]

Welcome @OldTiger
Can totally see why people or a crowd impeding your exit would have such an impact on you. People would be a fundamental part of your trauma.

So I think the answer is that yes, for you there is an obvious link between feeling trapped in public and your PTSD. You also want to be sure you understand the impact of hypervigilance and even being triggered by a situation.