ChatGPT said:

From a clinical standpoint, the pattern you’ve described sits at the intersection of several anxiety-related conditions rather than fitting neatly into just one.

If we translate your lived experiences into diagnostic language, they align most closely with:

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Primary features

• Claustrophobia/confinement-specific phobia — intense fear when movement or escape is restricted, whether by physical restraint or enclosed environments.

• Agoraphobia-like avoidance — not a fear of open spaces, but fear of being in situations where escape could be difficult or help unavailable.

• Anticipatory anxiety — high arousal before crossing a threshold, often more distressing than the actual experience once inside.

• Somatic anxiety expression — gastrointestinal symptoms, muscle tension, and other bodily manifestations linked to chronic hyperarousal.

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Possible clinical categories

1. Specific Phobia (situational type)

   • The consistent triggers are situations involving restriction of movement and loss of easy exit.

   • Fits the DSM-5’s “situational” subtype.

2. Agoraphobia (broad sense)

   • Modern definitions focus on fear/avoidance of situations where escape is difficult or embarrassing.

   • This can apply to both physical and social spaces.

3. Panic Disorder 

   • You don’t describe recurrent, untriggered panic attacks, but you do describe panic-like symptoms that are very context-bound.

4. Social Anxiety Disorder (threshold-specific)

   • Only partial fit: social settings seem to be anxiety-provoking when combined with entrapment risk, not simply because they’re social.

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Most accurate shorthand

Clinically, it could be described as:

A long-standing situational anxiety disorder with elements of claustrophobia and agoraphobia, marked by anticipatory avoidance and somatic symptoms, rooted in early experiences of unpredictability and loss of control.

 From what you’ve written, the experiences describe a complex overlap of disorders, likely involving:

1. Anxiety Disorders –

   • The extreme physical reactions to social or evaluative situations point toward social anxiety disorder or possibly generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), especially given the pervasive and anticipatory worry.

   • The somatic intensity — fainting, stomach pain, fever-like sensations — suggests high autonomic arousal and dysregulation.

2. Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (FGIDs) –

   • These include Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and related conditions where gut function is impaired without a primary structural disease.

   • Strong bidirectional brain–gut interactions mean that chronic anxiety can worsen IBS and vice versa.

3. Psychophysiological Disorder –

   • Multiple bodily symptoms (pain, GI distress, fainting, joint aches) that cause significant distress, where emotional stress is a major driver of physical symptoms.

4. Possible Neurodevelopmental / Trauma-Related Factors –

   • The urge to hide from relatives and sensory/overwhelm responses could indicate social withdrawal linked to trauma or severe anxiety, though more context would be needed for a firm link.

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Core pattern:
The description is consistent with severe anxiety manifesting through the gut–brain axis, producing debilitating gastrointestinal symptoms, systemic pain, and autonomic instability. In psychiatry, this is often discussed under the umbrella of psychosomatic disorders or functional disorders with anxiety as the root driver, but in modern biopsychosocial medicine it’s increasingly framed as central sensitivity or dysautonomia affecting multiple systems.