Fear of heights (acrophobia) may appear before a potential bungee jump, but also when it is necessary to climb a ladder or to an upper floor in a building. Fear of heights is no small matter, as it manifests itself not only in thoughts of the dangers of being high, but also in the somatic symptoms of anxiety and sometimes even panic attacks. Can the fear of heights be cured in some way and thus facilitate the patient's daily functioning? Read about the fear of heights and learn how to overcome it.
Fear of heightsis classified as a specific phobia and basically it is one of the best known forms of this type of anxiety disorder. Another term used to describe this problem isacrophobia- it is derived from a combination of two Greek words: akros, understood as peak or vertex, and phobos, translated as fear.
It is worth mentioning here that not every fear of going to a great height can be treated as a phobia. Fear is a feeling whose role is to protect us from dangerous situations - after all, there is always the possibility of falling from some mountain peak, so it is, in principle, completely natural for fear to arise in such a situation. However, the fear of heights can be talked about only when, in a fear-provoking situation, the fear becomes of a significant degree, various somatic symptoms of anxiety appear, and when anxiety has a negative impact on the general functioning of a human being.
Fear of heights is one of the most common specific phobias - 3 to 5% of people struggle with it. The problem is more common in women.
Causes of fear of heights
The causes of the fear of heights - as well as the reasons for the occurrence of other specific phobias in humans - have not been clearly defined so far. The suspected cause of acrophobia are traumatic events experienced in childhood. For example, an adult, suffering from the fear of heights, in childhood could, for example, fall from a tree and suffer some trauma - in this case, the fear of experiencing such a situation again seems quite understandable.
The fear of heights can also lead to a phenomenon where you fear heightsin a way, we "learn" from our loved ones. Such a hypothesis was made on the basis that in the children of those people who themselves suffer from the fear of heights, a similar problem occurs more frequently than in the descendants of people without the fear of heights. In a child who can see that his guardian or guardians are extremely afraid of heights, a similar type of fear may also simply develop.
Yet another theory concerning the causes of the fear of heights is the one where these fears would … protect the human population from extinction. After all, being at heights is associated with the risk of various events, some of which may even result in death. In the case of this theory, the tendency to fear heights would be simply hereditary and embedded in the genetic code. However, not all people experience the fear of heights, and there are many voices of criticism about these, gene-related, hypothetical causes of the fear of heights.
Fear of heights: symptoms
The symptoms appearing in the case of fear of heights may concern two spheres: mental and body. The first of these include the occurrence of various fears when you find yourself on a ladder, on a higher floor of a building or in any other situation related to staying at a significant height. A patient with fear of heights may fear that he will fall and die in a moment. He may also feel that he is on extremely unstable ground, or that he may be pushed by someone at any moment, fall and experience the consequences of such a situation.
People with acrophobia also develop somatic symptoms of anxiety. These can be, for example, an increase in heart rate, but also an increase in sweating, dizziness or a significant degree of pallor.
The fear of heights - in the most severe cases of this problem - is also associated with the risk of panic attacks. During it, the above-mentioned problems may appear (but of a much greater intensity), but also other ailments, such as a feeling of shortness of breath or even complete lack of air, chest pain or the belief that the given person will die soon. human.
The fear of heights - as clearly shown above - can have a significant negative impact on the daily functioning of patients. Just as it is quite easy to avoid bungee jumps or funfair rides on the Ferris wheel, it is much harder to avoid climbing tall buildings or using a ladder altogether. Can patients with fear of heights be helped somehow, or do they have to learn to live with their problem?
Fear of heights: how to fight it?
Luckily for patients with fear of heights, this problem can definitely be cured. It is possible, for example, to attempt exposure therapy, which is based on the gradual exposure of the patient to the stimulus causing fear (in this case, at significant heights). The goal of the therapy is desensitization, i.e. making the person at a high altitude cease to arouse fear in the treated person. However, there is a problem here - just as in the case of arachnophobia it is not difficult to introduce spiders to the patient, it can be more difficult to go with him to various places located at high altitude. For this reason, virtual reality techniques are used in the treatment of fear of heights, thanks to which it is possible - with the use of specialized equipment - to simulate various events, such as being at the top of a mountain peak.
Another method that is used in the treatment of fear of heights is psychotherapy - the use here is primarily cognitive-behavioral therapy. Pharmacotherapy, used in the treatment of many different mental disorders, is used rarely in people with fear of heights, and generally only as an auxiliary. Patients with the most severe forms of fear of heights are offered mainly antidepressants. Sometimes, anxiolytics from the benzodiazepine group are recommended, and attempts are also made to alleviate the somatic symptoms of acrophobia-related anxiety by administering beta-blockers to patients.
Sources:
1. Coehlo C.M., Wallis G., Deconstructing Acrophobia: Physiological and Psychological Precursors to Developing a Fear of Heights, Depression and Anxiety 27: 864-870 (2010), online access: http://hms.he alth.uq.edu. au / vislab / publications / reprints / coelhoDaD10.pdf
2. Whitney SL et al., Acrophobia and pathological height vertigo: indications for vestibular physical therapy? Phys Ther. 2005 May; 85 (5): 443-58; on-line access: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15842192
3. Materials GoodTherapy.org website, on-line access: https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/acrophobia
About the authorBow. Tomasz NęckiA graduate of medicine at the Medical University of Poznań. An admirer of the Polish sea (most willingly strolling along its shores with headphones in his ears), cats and books. In working with patients, he focuses on always listening to them and spending as much time as they need.Read more articles from this author