Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Acrophobia?SymptomsDiagnosisCausesTreatmentCoping
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Acrophobia?
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Causes
Treatment
Coping
Acrophobiais a persistent and intense fear of heights. People with acrophobia will experience panic and sudden anxiety in situations involving heights. Common triggers include standing on a bridge, climbing a ladder, looking over a cliff, and flying in an airplane.
Experts estimate that 6.4% of people experience acrophobia in their lifetime.Left untreated, it can cause extreme distress and significantly impair a person’s life. Avoidance of heights can hinder your ability to travel, drive over a bridge, or work in a skyscraper.
This article discusses acrophobia. It explains the common symptoms that accompany a fear of heights and how acrophobia is diagnosed and treated.
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Acrophobia is the fear of heights. This fear is excessive to the situation, persistent, and can cause a person to avoid situations where they might be exposed to heights.
Acrophobia is a type of specific phobia and is categorized as an anxiety disorder in theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM-5).
Specific phobias occur when someone experiences excessive and instantaneous fear and anxiety when exposed to a specific situation, experience, or trigger.
An estimated 12.5% of adults in the United States will experience a specific phobia, like acrophobia, in their lifetime.There are many types of specific phobias, but acrophobia is one of the most common. Women are more likely to experience acrophobia than men.
Symptoms of Acrophobia
The main, defining symptom of acrophobia is fear of heights. A person with acrophobia could experience symptoms in a variety of situations, ranging from looking out a skyscraper window to walking along a cliff.
A person with acrophobia will experience asudden onset of anxiety, and a range of symptoms as set out in the DSM-5. These symptoms include:
A person with acrophobia may also experiencedizziness, lightheadedness, or vertigowhen exposed to heights or just thinking about heights.
Acrophobia TriggersAcrophobia triggers will differ person-to-person, but could include:SkyscrapersCliffsFlying in an airplaneElevatorsRock climbingEscalatorsStaircasesLooking out a top-story windowCrossing bridgesDriving across overpasses
Acrophobia Triggers
Acrophobia triggers will differ person-to-person, but could include:SkyscrapersCliffsFlying in an airplaneElevatorsRock climbingEscalatorsStaircasesLooking out a top-story windowCrossing bridgesDriving across overpasses
Acrophobia triggers will differ person-to-person, but could include:
How Is Acrophobia Diagnosed?
Like other specific phobias, acrophobia can be diagnosed through a conversation with yourprimary care provider, psychiatrist, or other mental health professional. They may ask questions about situations that trigger your fear, how long this fear persists, and any avoidance behaviors.
There is also a recent measure called The Granger Causality Convolutional Neural Network (GCCNN) method that attempts to diagnose acrophobia more objectively.Usingelectroencephalogram(EEG)signals, this classifies acrophobia as moderate or severe.
However, due to the equipment required and limited research, this diagnosis and classification method is likely not accessible to many.
General vs. Specific Fear of Heights
While acrophobia is the general fear of heights, there are other specific phobias toward more distinct high places or situations. Among others, these include:
For example, someone who is afraid of flying but fine with standing on a skyscraper or cliff might be diagnosed with aerophobia. Someone who is afraid of flying, and also afraid of cliffs, looking out top-story windows, driving over bridges, and other situations could potentially be diagnosed with acrophobia.
It is important to receive the correct diagnosis so your treatment can be the most effective.
Diagnostic Criteria
To receive an acrophobia diagnosis, a person must meet the diagnostic criteria for a specific phobia, as set forth in the DSM-5. This criteria includes:
A defining aspect of specific phobias is that the fear is irrational, and the anxiety and fear are disproportionate to the situation. Most people with a specific phobia know that their fear is irrational, but they feel unable to control it. However, this insight isn’t necessary to be diagnosed with acrophobia, or any other specific phobia.
As of 2013, when the fifth edition of the DSM was published, a person no longer needs to have insight into the irrationality of their fear. Some people with acrophobia may believe their fear is justified and keeps them safe, and feel no motivation to seek treatment.
If you or a loved one are struggling with a phobia, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
If you or a loved one are struggling with a phobia, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
What Causes Acrophobia?
Genetics
A 2016 study attempted to identify chromosomal regions associated with acrophobia, using a genetic isolate (a population with little generic mixing) from Finland.The study concluded that the genetics behind acrophobia are incredibly complex.
Although the study did not find one specific gene that causes acrophobia, it did find chromosomes 4q28, 8q24, and 13q21-q22 could be linked to genetic predisposition for acrophobia. More research, however, is needed to determine the extent of the genetics behind acrophobia heritability and predisposition.
Learned Experience
Having a fall from a height as a child, experiencing violent turbulence on a plane, or witnessing someone else fall from a height could all create an associatedpanic responsewhen a person is exposed to heights later on in life.
Distance Perception
By the definition of specific phobias in the DSM-5, it is assumed that phobias are an abnormal fear response to a non-dangerous stimulus. Evolved navigation theory (ENT) offers a different explanation for the cause of acrophobia.
When it comes to heights and distances, it is important to know that not everyone perceives heights in the same way. Two people, for instance, may look at the same height and one person may perceive it as higher than the other.
ENT, therefore, posits that acrophobia is a rational response to an abnormal stimulus. People who experience acrophobia are more likely to have disproportionate distance perception and therefore perceive the risk and impact of a fall as much greater.
Vestibular Disorders
Vestibular disorders can also increase the risk of developing acrophobia. Yourvestibular systemcontrols your sense of balance through mechanisms in the inner ear. People with vestibular disorders experience postural instability and are at a greater risk of falling.
These conditions, whichimpair balance, may predispose people to develop acrophobia.
How to Overcome Acrophobia
There are a variety of treatments that are effective at treating specific phobias. Some treatment methods, such asvestibular physical therapyand virtual reality, have been specifically studied regarding acrophobia.
Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy is the most effective and widely studied treatment for specific phobias.In exposure therapy, a person is exposed to their feared stimuli. Traditionally, this exposure was done “in vivo” (in person), which for acrophobia could involve walking out on a cliff edge or a roof.
One method of exposure therapy is called flooding, where a person may be exposed to the highest level of their fear all at once. Exposure therapy can also be done gradually, over multiple sessions.
For someone with acrophobia, a sample course of gradual exposure therapy could involve looking out a second-floor window from 10 feet back, then looking out a second-floor window from 2 feet back, then looking out a fifth-floor window from 2 feet back, and then walking on a top floor balcony.
This therapy is done alongside a licensed mental health professional. Through exposing someone to their feared stimuli in a safe environment, the goal of exposure therapy is the extinction of the fear response.
This is achieved through habituation (repeated exposure to heights without negative consequences), and self-efficacy (a person learning that they are capable of being in a situation with heights and surviving it).
Virtual Reality
In recent decades, exposure therapy has also been studied through virtual reality methods. Virtual reality creates more opportunities for grading exposure before exposing a person to the stimuli in vivo.
Another benefit of virtual reality for exposure therapy is it is done in the safety of a mental health professional’s office. If a person experiences a panic attack from virtual heights, they can learn tools to manage their response in the office, rather than on the edge of a cliff.
Vestibular Physical Therapy
Some people may experience acrophobia as a result of a vestibular disorder. These people have increased reliance on visual cues for their balance, because their vestibular system, which helps most people maintain balance, is impaired.
Through vestibular physical therapy, a person rehabilitates their vestibular system and develops compensatory strategies to promote balance. This therapy reduces fall risk but also may reduce fear of falling, including acrophobia.
Medication for Acrophobia
Research in both rodents and humans suggests Seromycin could also be effective at treating specific phobias, including acrophobia, when used as an adjunctive treatment to exposure therapy. However, while Seromycin can assist in fear extinction, it can also enhance fear memory, therefore making bad exposure experiences worse.
It is recommended that a person undergo exposure therapy first before a decision is reached regarding Seromycin use. This way, response to exposure therapy can first be assessed, and risks of negative experiences can be mitigated.
Coping With Acrophobia
A fear of heights can seriously impact a person’s life. Not only is the panic response when exposed to heights distressing, but attempting to avoid heights can be extremely limiting and even create functional disability for some people.
Avoidance behaviors could lead to not flying home to see family for holidays, quitting a job in a high-altitude profession like construction or a tall office building, refusing to go to certain restaurants or sights located in skyscrapers, and much more.
If you find yourself avoiding previously enjoyed experiences or limiting your life activities, it’s probably time to speak to your healthcare provider about diagnosis and treatment options.
You can also cope with acrophobia and exposure experiences through relaxation methods, such asdeep breathing, yoga, visualization, and mantras.
Getting regular exercise, reducing caffeine intake, eating a balanced diet, and talking about your feelings with a trusted person can also help you cope with acrophobia and its impacts on your daily life.
Summary
Acrophobia can be extremely distressing, isolating, and life-limiting, but it may help you to know that you are not alone. There is help available if you are living with the condition.
Speak to your healthcare provider about diagnosis, lifestyle changes, and effective treatment options such as exposure therapy, virtual reality therapy, medication, vestibular therapy, or other types of psychotherapy. Together, you can come up with the right diagnosis and treatment plan that fits your lifestyle and goals.
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Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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