There are plenty of people that step into an elevator and take a deep breath because they are not that fond of elevators as a matter of fact that are a little afraid of elevators but they still grin and bear it and get to the floor that they need to using this modern marvel of transport.
There are also some people that simply can not get in the elevator, no amount of coaxing or threatening is going to make them take that step into what is them the abyss of potential danger. That is a phobia. There is no specific name for this phobia but many mental health professionals believe that the elevator is a trigger for other phobias like claustrophobia (the fear of small or enclosed spaces) or agoraphobia (the fear of being able to leave an area if a panic attack should hit). Although many people that have agoraphobia ride the elevator happily.
It is easier to see how claustrophobia and fear of an elevator go hand in hand. After all an elevator is a small and enclosed space with no exit until those doors open.
Unfounded Fear
The elevator phobia is much like any other phobia while there is a possibility that something can go wrong the likely hood that it will is very minimal. The reaction to the potential threat when someone has an elevator fear is not in line.
In other words there are literally billions of people everyday that step into an elevator and out of those billions of people in recent memory 2 people lost their lives in elevator accidents but for someone that is suffering from this phobia instead of focusing on the billions of people that ride the elevator everyday they are much more likely to consider the two people in the last decade that were killed in an elevator accident.
This paralyzing fear of the elevator ride will keep most people that suffer from this phobia off the elevator.
What Can Be Done?
There are several different therapies that can be used to quell this fear. In some cases sharing safety information and proper usage information can be enough to at least get someone that has this phobia on the elevator which can help to show them that it is okay to get on the elevator. Sometimes it can take many months or even years of psychotherapy to help them take that step.