Acrophobia is one of the most common phobias and is an extreme fear of heights, which can induce feelings of panic, panic attacks, nausea and dizziness if a person is exposed to heights. Acrophobia should not be confused with agoraphobia, the fear of the outdoors or open spaces, which contributes to many people feeling they can’t leave their homes. Both are serious conditions, and both common. Of the two, acrophobia is more common, and is possibly an inborn trait in some people.

What constitutes heights can vary for each person with this fear. For some, fear of heights only manifests when a person is in a particularly high place, like a building of several stories or on top of a cliff that overlooks a sheer drop. For others, walking up a flight of stairs or climbing a ladder is enough to induce panic and distress. The fear can easily curtail everyday activities, especially when it is extremely pronounced. Like the agoraphobic person, a person with acrophobia may not want to leave his/her home because he/she may encounter unknown experiences with panic inducing heights of various levels.

Many people may feel mildly uncomfortable when in high places, and this experience is not limited to humans. Other mammals show discomfort if they reach certain heights too. Usually, the term acrophobia is used only when the person or animal can be said to be extremely uncomfortable, and does go into a panic state when confronted with being in a high place. Main theories used to explain this phenomenon suggest that like all phobias, the fear became uncontrollable after a traumatic incident in early childhood.

Since other animals have been shown to exhibit some signs of fear of heights, researchers are now positing that the fear may have to do with the way our internal sense of balance works. The person with acrophobia may not be able to rely on natural sense of balance and continues to rely on what they see as high place. The feeling of being unbalanced can lead to panic, nausea, and vertigo or dizziness in some cases, because it pulls against the natural tendency for the body to remain balanced.

This would suggest that people might be able to overcome the fear by shutting their eyes and relying on natural balance to stabilize themselves. Usually though, acrophobics have so many incidences of this feeling, that this may not be enough alone, since the fear of heights may be associated with mental trauma. Though the fear itself might not be irrational from a physical perspective, repeated instances of emotional trauma associated with heights create irrational fear.

Like most phobias, acrophobia is treated with a variety of therapies, most commonly exposure therapy. Under the guidance of professionals, the person is guided through staged experiences of height, often first starting with virtual reality views of high places. This can help to gradually desensitize the individual to the experience of being in high places. Sometimes, medication like tranquilizers or antidepressants are useful in the early stages of treatment, but when the person is able to recover, they may not be needed in the long term. Further, there’s some suggestion given the internal balance theory that psychiatric medication would do more harm than good, since many of these medicines affect balance.

Answered by shailesh , an ibibo Citizen, at 9:27 PM on November 05, 2008

Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder. The people with agoraphobia avoid being in certain places or situations. They are afraid about having no way to escape or be overwhelmed with panic and having no help. An intense fear of driving, flying, crossing bridges, or being in shops are examples. The patients may become afraid of their reactions to these situations and this fear in itself can be disabling. In extreme cases, the agoraphobic person may never leave home.

Agoraphobia is often the end stage of panic disorder. Panic disorder is characterized by severe frequent panic attacks marked by a sense of impending doom. A person may be called agoraphobic when he/she tries to avoid situations, which he/she feels might trigger a panic attack.

Answered by Vinay Kiran , an ibibo Specialist, at 8:20 PM on November 04, 2008

Agoraphobia is the fear of being in a situation where one might experience anxiety or panic and where escape from the situation might be difficult or embarrassing. People with agoraphobia may feel anxious about such things as loss of bladder or bowel control or choking on food in the presence of others. They also might feel anxious about being home alone, leaving home, or being in a crowded place, such as on public transportation or in an elevator, where it might be difficult or embarrassing to find a way out. To avoid the anxiety associated with these situations they refrain from putting themselves into such situations.
The severity of agoraphobia is quite variable. Some people with agoraphobia live essentially normal lives as they avoid potentially anxiety-provoking situations. However, in severe cases of agoraphobia, people are homebound. These people work very hard to avoid any and all situations that might cause them to become anxious.
Two major characteristics are associated with agoraphobia:

People develop anxiety when thinking about being in a situation out of their comfort zone. They fear feeling trapped in a situation where they judge it would be difficult or embarrassing for them to leave the situation.
People avoid those situations which bring them anxiety or panic. It is the fear of the anxiety that leads to the agoraphobia.


THIS INFORMATION IS COLLECTED FROM :http://www.athealth.com/Consu mer/disorders/Agoraphobia.html

Answered by Sanya Tahir , an ibibo Master, at 6:25 PM on November 04, 2008

Well Kailash,

In milder forms, agoraphobia may cause an individual to avoid certain situations and jobs. However, in some cases, the fear increases until the individual becomes depressed and housebound. Occasionally one may be too fearful to come in for treatment. This may be a reason for resurrecting the old concept of the physician’s house call.

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Individuals with severe agoraphobia should usually start both medication and therapy as soon as possible. Without the medication, such an individual might not be able to make full use of the therapeutic process. People with mild to moderate symptoms might chose a combination approach or therapy alone. Homework between situations, and coaching from family members or therapists help one gradually face the feared situations.

Answered by Priyanka C , an ibibo Master, at 5:30 PM on November 04, 2008

If you break down the word agoraphobia, you can quickly see what it means. A phobia is a fear of something. Agora comes from the Greek language, and refers to a place where people meet, or more specifically a marketplace. So agoraphobia is the fear of being in crowded or open spaces.

Sometimes agoraphobia is thought of as the fear of being out in the open, but that isn't strictly correct. People suffering from agoraphobia are more often fearful of places where they are crowded in, where getting away would be difficult. A person with agoraphobia may be reluctant to leave their house, but it is usually not simply being outdoors that frightens them.

Answered by SESHAN , an ibibo Master, at 5:06 PM on November 04, 2008

Agoraphobia is a common 'Anxiety disorder'

It is one of the commonest types of phobic conditions seen in clinical practise.

It is defined as a phobic disorder that is characterised by an irrational fear of being in places away from familiar settings

Some common situations include:
1. Driving
2. Shopping
3. Crowded places
4.Travelling
5. Standing in line
6. Being alone
7. Meetings and social gatherings.

History of Agoraphobia

Westphal in 1872 was the first to describe the condition.

When describing the condition he stressed on the importance of anxiety associated with the condition.

Around the 1960's Agoraphobia was classified as a 'Phobic Anxiety Disorder'.

Answered by Alok , an ibibo Master, at 4:37 PM on November 04, 2008