{"id":51,"date":"2016-12-06T15:03:16","date_gmt":"2016-12-06T15:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rayusradiology.com\/?p=51"},"modified":"2021-08-12T06:18:30","modified_gmt":"2021-08-12T11:18:30","slug":"does-my-mri-fear-mean-i-am-truly-claustrophobic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rayusradiology.com\/blog\/does-my-mri-fear-mean-i-am-truly-claustrophobic\/","title":{"rendered":"Does My MRI Fear Mean I am Truly Claustrophobic?"},"content":{"rendered":"

You may have never been diagnosed with a phobia, but if your doctor says you need an MRI your heart may start pounding. Many people describe the fear as claustrophobia, a word that comes from Latin claustrum which means \u201ca shut in place\u201d and Greek\u00a0ph\u00f3bos which means “fear.” If you feel fear of a shut in place like an MRI machine, does that mean you\u2019re claustrophobic? Ask that question to Dr. Todd Farchione of Boston University\u2019s Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders<\/a> and he\u2019ll ask you how distressing your fear is. To be classified as a phobia at the clinical level, your fear needs to be:<\/p>\n

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  1. Both distressing and impairing your life<\/li>\n
  2. Outside the norm you\u2019d expect given the threat<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    According to Dr. Farchione, just because you feel fear doesn\u2019t mean you are clinically claustrophobic. \u201cI do think it\u2019s healthy to have a fear of getting trapped,\u201d he explains. \u201cBut is the person really trapped? Can they get out?\u201d When it comes to the case of an MRI exam, you are always able to stop and get out of the machine. A squeeze ball and two-way speaker puts you in communication with the technologist who is running your exam. If you need out, they will get you out. You are always in control.<\/p>\n

    How Common is Claustrophobia?<\/h3>\n
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    Research<\/a> from the National Institute of Mental Health suggests that 2.5%<\/strong> of the U.S. population has Claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces). The book Phobias: A Handbook of Theory, Research and Treatment<\/em><\/a> puts the estimate much higher \u2013 somewhere between 15% and 37%<\/strong> worldwide. This research suggests symptoms can vary widely and only a small percentage of those people seek treatment for claustrophobia. RAYUS Center Manager Desiree Rocovich says claustrophobia is common in the world of MRI. It\u2019s so common that asking questions about it is standard in the pre-appointment screening call. \u201cFour out of ten patients that we call will mention something about claustrophobia,\u201d Desiree estimates.<\/p>\n

    If you\u2019re wondering why you feel this fear, there\u2019s no one answer for everybody. It could be a learned behavior. Perhaps you watched a parent react fearfully to certain situations, says Dr. Farchione. Or it might be a tendency to underestimate distances. Emory University<\/a> psychologist Stella Lourenco has researched people with phobias and says those with higher levels of claustrophobia perceive things as being closer than they really are. Dr. Lourenco explains it in this video:<\/p>\n

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