An individual who reacts with severe panic and suffocation when he or she feels hemmed in, or is being trapped and can't get out: There are some claustrophobics who have strong anxieties about being in elevators even for a short time.

As a result of being closed in or cornered to any degree, claustrophobics may have severe panics and physiological symptoms including increased pulse and heart beats.

There are some claustrophobics who feel that they are choking and who have shortness of breath as if something were crushing their chests.

Characteristic of having a morbid fear of being in a confined or restricted space or a small area: "There are claustrophobic anxieties which start when some people feel they are trapped and can't get out of crowded places or away from enclosed places; such as, in elevators or very small rooms."

"Bob apparently developed claustrophobic anxieties when he was a small boy and he accidentally threw his baseball through a window of his house, and then he was locked inside a closet for a few hours as punishment which had an impact on his psychological development."