Acrophobia
Acrophobia, or fear of heights, is a common condition technically known as a specific phobia. Individuals with specific phobias to heights often experience extreme anxiety when confronted with high places. This anxiety response can include rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, muscle tension, a hot flushed feeling, trembling and a subjective feeling of fear. Although most people have some level of discomfort in high places, individuals meeting diagnostic criteria for a specific phobia to heights, have fears that interfere with their functioning.
This interference can often include avoidance of tall buildings, climbing on ladders, traveling on mountain roads, taking amusement rides, and other various encounters with high places. Treatments for this condition are often successful and include repetitive encounters with progressively more challenging high places. A typical patient with this condition is guided through a series of prolonged encounters with high places that are initially mildly anxiety provoking and finally working up to those which are extremely difficult. This sort of treatment is called Behavioral Exposure Therapy.
U-M
Health System Related Site:
Department of Psychiatry
