A severe fear of heights known as acrophobia can be extremely anxious and panicky. Some research One of the most prevalent phobias, according to Trusted Source, may be acrophobia.
It’s common to have some discomfort when you’re up high. As an illustration, when you gaze down from the top level of a building, you could experience nausea or anxiety. But you might not feel anxious or decide to never go up a height again as a result of these sensations.
If you have acrophobia, simply the mere thought of crossing a bridge or looking at a picture of a mountain and its surroundings might make you feel anxious and fearful. Usually, this anguish is severe enough to interfere with your regular life.
Continue reading to find out more about acrophobia and how to get over it.
What are the symptoms?
Acrophobia is characterized by a severe fear of heights that is accompanied by panic and anxiety. Extreme heights might cause this phobia to manifest in certain people. Others could be afraid of any height, even a simple stool or stepladder.
Numerous physical and psychological issues may result from this.
Among the physical signs of acrophobia are:
- At the sight or concept of high areas, you may have heightened perspiration, tightness in your chest, and tachycardia.
- feeling queasy or dizzy when you think about or view heights
- Going out of your way to avoid heights, even if it makes everyday living more challenging, shivering and trembling when faced with heights feeling dizzy or as though you’re falling or losing your equilibrium when you look up at a high spot or down from a height
Typical psychological signs include:
- experiencing panic when seeing high places or thinking about having to go up to a high place
- having extreme fear of being trapped somewhere high up
- experiencing extreme anxiety and fear when you have to climb stairs, look out a window, or drive along an overpass
- worrying excessively about encountering heights in the future
What causes it?
Sometimes, acrophobia arises as a result of a traumatic event involving heights, such as:
- falling from a high place
- watching someone else fall from a high place
- having a panic attack or other negative experience while in a high place
However, phobias, such as acrophobia, can sometimes manifest suddenly for unknown reasons. Genetics or environmental factors can be at play in these situations.
For instance, if you have acrophobia, you may be more prone to have it overall. Or perhaps you developed a phobia of heights from observing the actions of your childhood caretakers.
Evolved navigation theory
The development of acrophobia in some people may potentially be explained by something known as evolved navigation theory.
This idea holds that certain human functions, such as height perception, have evolved naturally. Your risk of dangerous falls can be decreased by seeing something as being higher than it actually is, which increases your chance of living to reproduce.
How is it diagnosed?
Only a mental health expert can make the diagnosis of phobias, including acrophobia. You can get a psychiatrist recommendation from your doctor. They might aid in making the diagnosis.
They’ll probably ask you to describe what occurs when you’re confronted by heights to start. Include the duration of this dread as well as any further mental health symptoms you may have encountered.
Acrophobia is often identified if you:
- actively avoid heights
- spend a lot of time worrying about encountering heights
- find that this time spent worrying starts to affect your daily life
- react with immediate fear and anxiety when encountering heights
- have these symptoms for more than six months
How is it treated?
Treatment for phobias is not always necessary. Some people find it pretty simple and doesn’t have a significant influence on their regular activities to avoid the frightened thing.
Treatment might be helpful if you discover that your worries are preventing you from doing the actions you need or want to take, such as visiting a friend who lives on the top level of a building.
Exposure therapy
One of the most effective therapies for certain phobias is exposure therapy. You’ll work with a therapist in this kind of treatment to gradually expose yourself to the things you’re frightened of.
You may begin treating acrophobia by seeing images taken from the perspective of a person inside a towering building. You may view videos of individuals navigating tightropes, climbing, or navigating confined spaces.
Eventually, you might climb a stepladder or step out onto a balcony. You should have by now mastered relaxation methods that will enable you to face your fear when it arises.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
If you don’t feel ready to undertake exposure treatment, CBT could be able to assist. With the help of a therapist, you’ll use CBT to confront and reframe unfavorable perceptions about heights.
This method could still include some exposure to heights, but it usually only happens during treatment sessions, which are safe environments.
Medication
There aren’t any drugs made specifically to treat phobias.
The following medicines, however, can aid with anxiety and panic symptoms:
- Beta-blockers. These drugs assist by lowering other bodily signs of anxiety as well as keeping your blood pressure and heart rate constant.
- Benzodiazepines. They are sedative medications. They can aid in reducing anxiety symptoms, but because to their potential for addiction, they are usually only taken briefly or seldom.
- D-cycloserine (DCS). This medication could enhance the advantages of exposure treatment. DCS seems to assist increase the benefits of exposure treatment, according to a 2017 literature reviewTrusted Source of 22 trials including persons who had various anxiety-related illnesses.
Virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) has attracted the interest of several professionals as a viable phobia treatment strategy in recent years.
An immersive VR experience may expose you to your fears in a secure environment. When using computer software, you have the choice to stop immediately if the situation becomes overwhelming.
2018 research
Trusted Source examined how VR affected 100 acrophobic individuals. Only little amounts of pain were felt by participants throughout VR sessions. Numerous people said that VR treatment was beneficial.
Although additional research is needed in the area, the study’s authors came to the conclusion that since VR can be done at home, it would be a readily accessible, reasonably priced therapy alternative.
The bottom line
One of the most prevalent phobias is acrophobia. It could be worthwhile to speak with a therapist if you have a fear of heights and discover that you avoid particular situations or spend a lot of time thinking about how to avoid them.
A therapist can assist you in creating the coping mechanisms you need to face your fear and stop it from interfering with your regular activities.