Niall Horan is using "self-help books" to combat claustrophobia and panic attacks.
The One Direction hunk suffered a panic attack in December after getting stuck in a lift with young fans in a hotel in Milan and wants to take the right precautions to make sure this sort of incident does not reoccur.
A source told the Daily Star newspaper: "Niall really wants to conquer this problem once and for all. He's essentially practising amateur psychology at the moment and is getting through three books a week.
"The self-help books are teaching him how to manage crowds with various coping techniques.
"He has stacks of them by his bed and they're really making a difference to his state of mind."
Niall was shocked following the mishap in December and even after he was out of the lift he claimed his heart was "still thumping".
He wrote on Twitter: ''Eight of us got stuck in a tiny lift. Claustrophobia is a terrible thing, and people telling you to calm down is worse. I was freaking out. My heart is still thumping.''
The 'Story of My Life' hitmaker has opened up about his claustrophobia in the past, particularly if he's surrounded by over-eager fans.
He has admitted: ''I do get a bit scared sometimes - when we're in the tour bus, fans start climbing all over it and smacking on the windows, trying to get in.
''They start chasing after us, screaming. I'm claustrophobic and I don't like everyone crowding around and shouting questions. I get a bit scared.''

Lily Allen is the first celebrity to land an endorsement deal with Cornetto.
The 28-year-old singer mentioned the ice cream brand on Twitter last July, surprised at how few calories the tasty treat contains.
She wrote: "Is it true there's only 190 calories in a Cornetto? #cornettodiet.(sic)"
Although the message was simply "a bit of fun" she is now expected to earn a six-figure sum while she works with Cornetto on their forthcoming advert.
A source told The Sun newspaper: "Lily only Tweeted about the ice cream for a bit of fun - she never anticipated it would turn into a huge endorsement deal.
"The new advert is a love story and Lily plays a doctor. It's all good fun."
Lily - who has daughters Ethel, two, and 11-month-old Marnie with her husband Sam Cooper - previously admitted she used to starve herself before photo shoots but has conquered any insecurities she may have had about her figure and now embraces her body for what it is.
She said: "I felt quite brave shooting the 'Hard out Here' video. In all my past videos and photo shoots I've starved myself for days to get into what I felt was a good enough shape. But in this one, I was wearing leggings!
"And a skin-tight T-shirt and a bra over the top - you can see the bulge! It wasn't necessarily pretty, but I felt very strongly that I wanted to do that. Because I'm a woman now, and I have two babies, and I don't want to hide it."

Tom Odell found the attention while dating Taylor Swift "terrifying".
The 23-year-old musician briefly dated the '22' hitmaker in February last year and admits he found the press attention too much to bare.
Tom told Britain's GQ magazine: "It was terrifying. I'd have to be very in love to be with someone that famous."
The 'Another Love' singer claims he never had the opportunity to dress in smart outfits when he was growing up, but his love of fashion has grown since he performed live at the Burberry Prorsum Autumn/Winter 2013 show.
Tom explained:"I am interested in that classic British look - yet also that classic American look. Burberry did that for me, because when I played at their party last year it introduced me to fashion.
"I grew up in the suburbs of a small town on the south coast where the only opportunity I ever got to wear anything smart was a funeral, so I had never owned a piece of clothing worth more than £40."
Tom now relishes the opportunity to buy expensive clothes, and revealed he even spends hundreds of pounds on multivitamins to keep him looking and feeling his best whilst on tour.

Matthew McConaughey consulted three doctors about HIV in his teens.
The 44-year-old actor - who plays AIDS sufferer Ron Woodroof in 'Dallas Buyers Club' - admits he was so concerned about the rise in the sexually-transmitted infection while he was growing up in the 1980s that he sought advice from a number of different health professionals.
He said: "I remember in 1988 I was a senior in college and as a heterosexual young man becoming sexually active I remembered getting worried and what I clearly remember is talking to three different doctors and saying, 'Give me some science on this. 'I'm a heterosexual man and I'm having . . . I'm not being too loose but give me some percentages, give me something . . . ' and they had three completely different answers about what the risks were so I came away from that being more scared.
"I remember thinking, well, I'm gonna go with the guy who said be the most cautious. But nobody knew at the time, the doctors didn't know."
The hunky star - who has children Levi, five, Vida, four, and Livingston, 17 months, with wife Camila Alves - also admits he was keen to steer away from making his role too soppy because that wasn't the aim of the movie.
He explained to RTÉ Ten : "This story hasn't been done this way, it hasn't been approached this way. This story couldn't have gone to sentiment especially in the third act but it would have been untrue to the man Ron Woodroof ... This is not a message movie. The message comes out of following this guy's life."

Victoria Beckham revolutionised her school uniform with extra socks.
The Spice Girls star-turned-designer has always taken a keen interest in fashion and found a way to make her compulsory school outfit look less "horrific", with the idea quickly catching on amongst her classmates.
She recalled: "I created a fashion where you'd wear two pairs of socks - one pair on top of the other because it kind of bagged around the ankle. In my eyes, it changed how you looked in this horrific school uniform. It spread like wildfire."
And the 39-year-old star - who has children Brooklyn, 14, Romeo, 11, Cruz, eight, and Harper, two, with husband David - was such a fan of designer labels, she used a Gucci carrier bag to tote her books and belongings to school.
She said: "It was a Gucci carrier bag - not a proper Gucci bag, a carrier bag that I would lug all of my books to school in. I would use that day in day out, until the bottom of the thing fell out."
Despite her Posh Spice image, Victoria also admitted her famous black dress she wore in the Spice Girls was high street rather than designer.
Speaking in her Skype documentary 'Five Years - the Victoria Beckham Story', she said: "The first dress I wore in the Spice Girls that everybody thought was a little black Gucci dress was actually from Miss Selfridge. I couldn't have afforded a little black Gucci dress."

Zac Efron designs his own tattoos.
The 'That Awkward Moment' star, who completed two stints in rehab last year for drug abuse, has several pieces of body art and had a pair of feathers etched on his inner right bicep after drawing the image himself.
The 26-year-old star told the February issue of US InStyle magazine: "I actually designed it. I like to sketch - it's my favourite medium. I've done drawings and paintings for girls, but mostly I do comic books. Sometimes it's just nice to put thought and care into something original."
The 'High School Musical' star is thinking about designing his own clothing line because of his passion for art.
He said: "I think it would be fun to make the kinds of clothes that I would wear."
He added: "I've always liked Neil Barrett (designer). He made me a suit a long time ago that kicked off a working relationship. We might even work on something together."
Zac, who previously dated Lily Collins and Vanessa Hudgens, also admitted he isn't very good at dating.
He said: "I'm usually a one-woman guy, but these last four years I've been anything but. It's been a extreme time, but it's over now."
Asked what he looks for in a woman, he said: "Anybody who looks exotic, regardless of race. And brunettes."

Justin Bieber wants to build up "positive energy" after being accused of harassing a flight attendant.
The 19-year-old star, who allegedly filled his private plane with so much marijuana smoke on Friday (31.01.14) that the pilots had to don gas masks and verbally abused a female crew member, attempted to put his latest controversy behind him by retreating to a recording studio with rapper T-Pain in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Canadian singer posted a message on Twitter on Wednesday (05.02.14) with the caption: "Back in my second home. Good to be back. Focused on building up positive energy"
The 'Baby' hitmaker has yet to comment on reports that he and his entourage, including her father, Jeremy Bieber, and 10 friends hot-boxed their leased Gulfstream IV and harassed the crew during their flight from Canada to New Jersey for the Super Bowl last weekend.
The official report from the incident, obtained by NBC News, stated: "The captain of the flight stated that he warned the passengers, including Bieber, on several occasions to stop smoking marijuana.
"The captain also stated he needed to request that the passengers stop their harassing behaviour toward the flight attendant and after several warnings asked the flight attendant to stay with him near the cockpit to avoid any further abuse."
Federal authorities searched the plane when it landed in the US, but nothing was found. None of the members of the flight crew were willing to press charges against the star so all passengers were let go.
But a source told gossip website TMZ.com that Justin, who was arrested for allegedly drunk driving and drag racing in Miami last month, was made aware the plane would be searched before he boarded because he is allegedly on a Homeland Security Watch List as a result of his pending criminal cases.

George Clooney is struggling to come to terms with Philip Seymour Hoffman's death.
'The Monuments Men' star paid tribute his 46-year-old "good friend," who was found dead in his apartment in New York City from an apparent heroin overdose on Sunday (02.02.14), at the premiere of his new movie in the city on Tuesday night (04.02.14), and confessed he is "going to miss him a lot."
Before introducing the film at the Ziegfeld Theatre, the 52-year-old star said: "I wanted to start by saying it's very odd to be here in New York, particularly a couple of days after a good friend of ours has passed away. It makes it difficult, and I think it's the elephant in the room for a lot of us here. It's senseless and it's sad, but he will be greatly missed. Phil will be greatly missed. It's hard to be here tonight with that . . . weighing over us, but I wanted to say that."
Meanwhile, Elizabeth Banks, who co-starred in 'The Hunger Games' movies with Philip, echoed George's sentiments.
The 39-year-old actress told the 'TODAY' show on Wednesday (05.02.14): "I'm still processing it. I really am in shock."
She added: "He is an absolutely amazing actor, respected by everyone and part of our family at 'The Hunger Games.'
"We will miss him terribly, and obviously, [we're] really upset for his children and his partner. It's just a tragedy."
A huge number of Hollywood stars, including Tom Hanks, have expressed their sadness following the actor's death, while Michelle Williams, Cate Blanchett, Joaquin Phoenix, Ethan Hawke and Justin Theroux were among the celebrities spotted visiting the late actor's former partner, Mimi O'Donnell, and their three children, Cooper, 10, Tallulah, seven, and Willa, five, at their home.

Lily Collins is dating Hollywood newcomer Thomas Cocquerel.
The 24-year-old actress, who split from her 'The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones' co-star Jamie Campbell Bower in August after a year of dating, is smitten with the Australian actor, 23, after they were introduced by mutual friends.
A source told UsMagazine.com: "They just started seeing each other. A friend introduced them. It's new. He is an all around great guy. She's happy."
Lily, who previously dated Taylor Lautner from November 2010 to September 2011, clearly isn't planning to hide her new romance as she posted a photograph with Thomas and their friend, Samuel Nolan, on WhoSay on Sunday (02.02.14).
Lily, whose father is Phil Collins, also dated 'That Awkward Moment' star Zac Efron for three months until June 2012 and sparked rumours of a reconciliation when they were spotted holding hands in Disneyland in October.
However sources insisted at the time that the duo were merely friends.
Thomas graduated from the famed National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney at the end of 2012 and is currently filming 'The Kidnapping of Freddy Heineken' alongside Anthony Hopkins and Sam Worthington in Belgium, Amsterdam and New Orleans, Louisiana.

Selena Gomez is eager to get back to work following her stint in rehab.
The 21-year-old former Disney star, who checked into a treatment facility in Arizona for two weeks last month, has been reading lots of scripts and attending casting calls in a bid to move forward.
A source told E! News that the brunette beauty is doing "so well" now and is concentrating on reading scripts so she can find another acting project.
The 'Come & Get It' hitmaker was spotted leaving an audition with a script and a big smile on her face in Studio City, California on Monday (03.02.14).
But the source said that Selena hasn't signed on to star in anything just yet.
She also hasn't decided whether she will reschedule the Australian leg of her 'Stars Dance' tour, which she cancelled in December to focus on herself.
The singer decided to seek treatment after her family expressed concern when they saw pictures of her with ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber on a Segway early last month.
The source said that the duo's on/off split was extremely tough on her emotionally but she is doing much better after taking time to clear her head.
The 'Spring Breakers' star previously admitted she was eager to focus on acting instead of music.
Asked whether she had plans to stop singing, she said: "Yeah, probably for a while, I wanna get more into film. I'm open to trying new things.
"I just did an action movie and a dark comedy and then a drama so I've been able to do really fun projects that are different."

Chris Brown went to a Super Bowl party during a break from rehab.
The 'Fine China' singer reportedly made a brief appearance at his friend Trey Songz' bash in Los Angeles on Sunday (02.02.14) after being given permission to leave his treatment facility to visit his lawyer, Mark Geragos, ahead of his latest court appearance on Monday (03.02.14).
A source close to the 24-year-old star told gossip website TMZ.com that he was at the party for approximately 10 minutes and only because he thought it was a charity event.
The insider insisted that Chris didn't consume any alcohol and was monitored by a rehab worker for the entire time.
The R&B star appeared at L.A. Superior Court on Monday for a hearing over an alleged assault in Washington D.C. last October.
The judge ordered him to remain in rehab, where he is completing a 90-day court ordered stint for anger management issues, despite prosecutors asking for him to be taken to jail and claiming he posed "an increasing danger to society."
Chris has been on probation since his 2009 assault on his then-girlfriend Rihanna, which was revoked last December following the fight in Washington D.C.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have brought forward their wedding date.
The couple, who have an eight-month-old daughter, North West, have decided to tie the knot in Paris, France in May instead of July because they are so excited to get married.
A source told Us Weekly magazine that the 33-year-old reality TV star and the 'Yeezus' rapper, 36, want their daughter to be heavily involved in the ceremony.
An insider said: "North will have a large role in the wedding!"
Another friend said that the couple's wedding plans are well underway and they will have "lots of events leading up to the big day" for their guests.
However, Kim, who was married twice before, is said to have been very reluctant to have a lavish ceremony and Kanye is the driving force behind the event.
One insider said: "Kim isn't totally pumped about a huge wedding. But she's going along with it."
The brunette beauty is letting Kanye handle most aspects of their wedding but is overseeing her own dresses.
A friend said: "She'll do one dress change."
The wedding is set to air on 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' and Kim was previously criticised for allegedly making a huge profit from her $10 million televised wedding to her now ex-husband, Kris Humphries, in August 2011.