This blog contains information about Acrophobia in detail. In the start, it explains the Causes of Acrophobia. Then it explains the common Symptoms of Acrophobia in detail. It also shine a light on the Symptoms of Acrophobia. This blog also contains the procedures used for the Diagnosis of Acrophobia. It also explains the Treatment of Acrophobia. It contains Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment of Acrophobia.
Acrophobia, Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment.
What is Acrophobia?
Acrophobia is a mental health condition in which a person experiences an intense fear of heights. It is a type of anxiety disorder. The people having this mental disorder feel anxiety and irritation when they are exposed to heights either mountains or tall buildings.
They feel miserable while standing onto a height and they face intense fear of heights. They often avoid scenarios and situations that involves heights and stay away from such situations.
A certain amount of height id normal for all the people. But excess from that limit, can cause irritability for the people who have Acrophobia or The fear of Heights. Feeling uneasy on heights is not a disorder and is normal. But the people with acrophobia experience intense and unreasonable fear when they face heights.
Their fear does not come only in specific cases, but they also feel difficulty in everyday tasks such as climbing stairs, standing near a balcony, parking a car in multiple-floor parking garage etc. Patients of acrophobia will feel difficulty in every simple task that involves height. This blog contains Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment for Acrophobia.
Symptoms of Acrophobia:
Following are the main symptoms of Acrophobia:
•Feeling intense fear and anxiety when thinking about, looking at or being in high places.
•Feeling that something negative will happen in high place such as falling, being trapped etc.
•Feeling a strong desire to escape from high places.
•Experiencing rapid heartbeat when thinking of or experiencing heights.
•Feeling dizzy and lightheadedness when facing the heights.
•Feeling queasy.
•Trembling.
•Having shortness of breathe.
Causes of Acrophobia:
Researchers are not sure about true cause of acrophobia. They explain that acrophobia is out of humans own concerns about falling from a height and hurting themselves. People with this condition are sensitive in this case and starts imagining the pain they will face while falling from the height on the ground. This can contribute in acrophobia. Another reason can be any negative or traumatic event that involved heights. It may cause acrophobia in a person for his entire life. There may be other causes of acrophobia but the mentioned causes are the prediction of the researchers and health professionals.
Diagnosis of Acrophobia:
Acrophobia can be diagnosed by a series of questions asked from the patient. But in general there are four criteria to diagnose phobias. These are as follows:
Intense and Unreasonable fear:
The people with phobias experience intense and unreasonable fears with respect to their phobias i.e. from heights, from failure, from certain situation etc. Their fear is out of the normal limits and they can’t act normal in those situations.
Anticipatory Anxiety:
The people with phobias tend to dwell on or dread future situations or experiences that involve the object or situations they are afraid of. This cause extreme anxiety in them.
Avoidance:
The people with phobia, always avoid the situations they are sensitive to. It means that a person who has a fear of failure will avoid to participate in any competition to avoid the failure.
Interference in Day to day Activities:
The people with phobias experience interference of their phobias in their everyday activities. They feel difficulty in simple tasks because of their phobias. Phobias are difficult to be handled.
By judging the patient with these criteria, we can diagnose the presence of any phobia including Acrophobia.
How to Treat Acrophobia?
Acrophobia can be treated and controlled by few therapies. If not completely cured, this phobia can be partially cured and the symptoms may be reduced to an extent. These therapies are as follows:
1.Exposure Therapy:
Exposure therapy is a common form of psychological treatment used to treat specific phobias. People with phobias usually avoid situations that involve the thing they are afraid of. Therapists and psychologists use exposure therapy for people who have a phobia to slowly encourage them to enter situations that cause them anxiety, and to try to stay in that situation so that they can learn to cope.
2.Virtual Reality Exposure:
Virtual reality exposure therapy is a type of psychological treatment that uses technology to show the person realistic — but fake — situations to help them cope with stressful and anxiety-inducing situations. If you have acrophobia, you may use a virtual reality (VR) headset that will show you simulations of situations that involve heights. This way, you can be exposed to heights in a way that’s completely safe and feels, real but isn’t.
3.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy:
CBT is a form of psychological treatment. Through talking and asking questions, your therapist or psychologist helps you gain a different perspective. As a result, you learn to respond better to and cope with the stress and anxiety.
All these treatments can be used for treating Acrophobia. This blog contains Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment of Acrophobia.
Medication for Acrophobia:
• Beta Blockers
• Relaxants
How to Treat Acrophobia?
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