We humans are hardwired to avoid dizzy places; however, if those heights are uncommon or unstable, we become more apprehensive about heights, and when this phobia of heights hampers everyday life, it's important to reach out for online therapy for phobias.
The phobia of heights causes individuals to feel extremely panicky and anxious about circumstances that involve being far away from the ground, like ascending a ladder or getting to the top of a high-rise building. Due to the feeling of this fear, individuals with a phobia of heights normally avoid any conditions that include heights.
An epidemiological study revealed the normality of visual height intolerances together with acrophobia in around 28% of adults [32% in women and 25% in men] and around 34% in prepubertal children aged between 8 to 10 years with no gender predominance.
Explore more about what is the phobia of heights, its symptoms, causes, and how to overcome the fear of heights.
What is the phobia of heights: What you need to know
Acrophobia, or fear of heights, exemplifies an extreme fear of heights that could lead to serious anxiety and panic.
According to phobia facts and statistics 2023, “approximately 19 million Americans have a minimum one phobia, varying from mild to severe.”
It’s not surprising to sense some type of distress on high grounds. For instance, individuals could feel dizzy or off-balance when looking down from the rooftop of a multistory building. But, having said that, these emotions might not give rise to panic or remind you to keep away from heights completely.
If someone has a phobia of heights, pondering over crossing a bridge or looking at a photo of a mountain and valleys nearby might trigger fear and anxiety. This discomfort is usually good enough to impact an individual’s day-to-day life.
Now that you’ve understood what is a phobia, let’s learn more about the symptoms of phobia of heights and the related conditions and how to get over fear of heights.
Symptoms of the phobia of heights
The major symptom is an extreme fear of heights characterized by panic and anxiety.
In some individuals, excessive height could trigger this fear. On the contrary, others might fear any type of height, along with small step stools.
This kind of fear could lead to various physical and emotional symptoms.
1. Physical symptoms
The physical symptoms of phobia of heights are similar to other common phobias, which include
- Chest pain
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Rapid heartbeat
- Shortness of breath,
- Trembling
2. Emotional symptoms
People might experience a feeling of panic when they recognize that they’re high off the ground and might impulsively start to look for something to hold onto and know that they’re not able to trust their sense of equilibrium.
The common response includes tumbling immediately, wangling on all fours, kneeling, or else compressing the body.
3. Anxiety and avoidance:
People with a fear of heights tend to frighten situations that might let them spend some time in high places. For instance, people may postpone home improvements due to the fear of employing a ladder.
This type of avoidance might hamper people’s ability to work in day-to-day life. For instance, they might not be able to go to work or visit family and friends or leave their homes because of extreme panic and refrain.
Let’s find out more about acrophobia related conditions and how to get over fear of heights.
Conditions related to the phobia of heights
The different conditions related to fear of heights or acrophobia that might occur with it contain-
1. Vertigo
Actual vertigo is a disorder that gives rise to the feeling of spinning and lightheadedness. A type of phobia - Illyngophobia- in which an anxiety of rising vertigo could really lead to symptoms similar to vertigo. Keep in mind that anxiety is a typical emotion when you deal with daily stressors and many factors are responsible for causing anxiety.
Phobia of heights could cause sensations similar to vertigo, but 3 states aren’t similar. If you or your loved ones experience vertigo symptoms, get a medical practitioner's help. The medical checkup may include blood tests, CT scans, and MRI to close out different neurological conditions.
2. Bathmophobia
Bathmophobia is a medical condition in which the individual fears slope and stairs, it can be sometimes associated with acrophobia. In this medical condition, individuals panic when they see a steep slope, even though there’s no need to climb it.
However most people with bathmophobia have a phobia of heights, but most people with acrophobia do not experience bathmophobia.
3. Climacophobia
This medical condition is related to bathmophobia, but it normally arises when people think of climbing up. If you or someone else suffers from this medical condition, the sufferer is possibly not afraid of seeing a steep staircase on the condition that they’re safe on the ground.
In spite of that, climacophobia might occur in conjunction with a phobia of heights.
4. Aerophobia
This is a distinct fear of flying. Based on the seriousness of the fear, the sufferer might be afraid of airports and airplanes or might sense the feeling only when they’re in the air. This medical condition might frequently occur besides acrophobia.
Causes of phobia of heights
Similar to an anxiety disorder and particular phobias, acrophobia occurs due to the complex interaction of different factors. Scientists have no exact idea of what leads to a phobia of heights in a few people and not others. The solution could be a mix of environmental and genetic factors.
1. Genetics
There’s promising technological evidence that different specific phobias like social phobia or social anxiety disorder, are related to respective genes. It is supported by analytical studies that indicate around a 30% heritability rate of particular phobias.
A 2016 study carried out to find chromosomal regions related to a phobia of heights, with the help of a genetic isolate from Finland, assured that the genetics behind the phobia of heights are extremely complicated.
Even though the study didn’t identify one particular gene that leads to acrophobia, it certainly found chromosomes 4q28, 8q24, and 13q21-q22 might be related to genetic vulnerability for the phobia of heights.
However, more research is still required to evaluate the intensity of genetics behind the fear of heights hereditary and disposition and how to get over social anxiety.
2. Learned Experience
Similar to other particular phobias, the fear of heights can also occur because of the person’s surroundings. Especially it could include traumatic experiences containing heights or learned experiences like seeing a parent with a phobia of heights. Many people are unsure about whether they are experiencing fear or phobia and what is the difference between fear vs phobia.
If a person falls from a height as a kid, experienced brutal turbulence in an airplane, or witnessed someone else falling from a height might all lead to a related panic response when an individual is introduced to heights in adulthood.
3. Distance perception
According to the explanation of specific phobias in the DSM-5, it’s estimated that phobias are an unusual frightening response to a harmless stimulant. ENT, i.e., Evolved Navigation Theory, provides a completely different interpretation for the cause of phobia of heights in people.
With respect to heights and distances, it's crucial to understand that not everybody feels heights similarly. Two individuals, for example, might look over the same height, and one individual might feel it is higher than the other.
Therefore, Evolved Navigation Theory is a transformational response to an unusual stimulant; individuals who suffer from acrophobia are more possibly to possess inordinate distance perception and hence, feel the danger and shock of a fall a lot more.
4. Vestibular disorders
This medical condition can also increase the threat of developing a phobia of heights. A vestibular system handles the sense of balance using mechanisms in the inner ear. Individuals with vestibular disorders sense postural instability and are at serious risk of falling.
These conditions, which damage balance, might put people at risk of developing a phobia of heights.
Risks of phobia of heights
One of the significant dangers that the majority of phobias offer is restricting your daily life activities to avoid scary situations.
But having said that, the phobia of heights is uncommon, where having a panic attack when high up the ground might really result in imaginary danger.
The circumstances could be safe so long as usual precautions are taken, but frightening could result in making risky moves. Therefore, it’s highly crucial that a person’s phobia of heights is treated professionally as early as possible, especially if heights are a normal part of their life.
How is a phobia of heights (Acrophobia) diagnosed?
In order to diagnose a phobia of heights, a person should satisfy the criteria for a particular phobia, as described in the DSM-5, which includes-
- Extreme and inordinate terror of a particular condition or trigger - for individuals with a phobia of heights, including different types of circumstances containing heights.
- Unexpected and immediate anxiety response when comes across heights
- Avoidance behaviors - like trying to avoid potential confrontation with heights.
- Feeling of fear for 6 months
- Detrimental life because of avoidance behavior, fear, and anxiety.
The majority of people with a specific phobia understand that their fear is illogical, but still, they cannot control it. But having said that, this criterion isn’t important to be diagnosed with a phobia of heights or some other particular phobia. Learn more about what is specific phobia by clicking here.
Following 2013, when the 5th edition of the DSM was released, an individual had no more need to possess criteria in the illogicality of their fear. Some people with a phobia of heights might believe their fear is appropriate and secure for them and don’t feel like seeking treatment.
If you or your loved one are battling a specific phobia, contact Lifebulb through email @support@lifebulb.com or phone at 855-722-4422 for more information on counseling for phobias or phobia treatment centers in your location. You can also search online for ‘phobia specialist’ or ‘counseling for phobias’ or ‘online therapy for phobias’ or ‘online anxiety counseling’ or ’anxiety disorder treatment near me.’
How is a phobia of heights Treated?
Phobia of heights can relate to a few symptoms with vertigo, which, as explained above, is a medical condition with different kinds of potential causes and also with some other particular phobias.
Because of these reasons, if you or your loved ones experience the symptoms of fear of heights, it's extremely crucial to ask for professional therapy for phobias or look for phobia treatment centers as early as possible.
The treatments for the phobia of heights include:
1. Exposure Therapy
This therapy is considered the standard benchmark for the treatment of specific phobias or overcoming fear of heights. Conventionally, real exposure to heights is the most commonly used solution, but, in spite of the fact that an experimental study published in 2017 revealed that VR (Virtual Reality) could be similarly effective.
For the phobia of heights, the treatment can start by seeing pictures from someone else's perspective in a tall building. The sufferer might watch videos of individuals walking on the thin wire, climbing or crossing thin bridges.
Ultimately, the sufferer could go out upon a balcony or make use of a stepladder. At this point in time, the person has learned relaxation methods to help themselves conquer their fear in those moments.
2. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavior therapy can help a person having acrophobia if they don’t feel willing to try exposure therapy. In this online therapy for phobias, the person will work with a CBT therapist to confront and reevaluate negative thoughts regarding heights.
This therapy for phobias might still include a little exposure to heights, but it is usually performed within the safe environment of a therapy session.
3. Medication
At times, depressants or beta-adrenergic blocking agents could be used for temporary relief in particular situations to help relieve panic attack or anxiety in adults. According to a study in 2012, it is found that making use of medication in association with cognitive behavioral therapy might enhance results.
Having said that, more research needs to be done on dosing and duration of treatment.
4. Virtual reality
In the past few years, few experts have turned their focus towards VR (Virtual Reality) as a prospective method for the treatment of phobias.
A mesmerizing virtual reality experience could provide exposure to what the person is afraid of in a safe environment. With the help of computer software, you can stop immediately when things feel flabbergasted.
As per a 2018 study that monitored the effectiveness of VR on 100 people with a phobia of heights, the participants experienced just low levels of discomfort at the time of Virtual reality sessions. Many of them said that the therapy was helpful.
5. Relaxation
Several life-altering modifications and relaxation techniques can play an integral part in easing symptoms of fear of heights. Using yoga, deep breathing, meditation, or Jacobson’s relaxation can help the person deal with stress and anxiety. Daily exercise and therapy for phobias can be helpful too.


Conclusion
If you’re struggling with a phobia of heights, understand that you aren’t alone and it is a common phobia. Keeping away from heights could provide temporary relief, but it won’t address the basic cause of fear and anxiety in adults.
Even though it could be hard and discomforting, it's crucial to speak with your healthcare practitioner or phobia specialist and look for proper therapy for phobia or anxiety disorder treatment. The earlier you look for help, the quicker you can take charge of your life.
Don’t be ashamed of telling your phobia of heights to your family and friends and ask for their support. Don’t forget you aren’t alone. Thousands of Americans suffer from this specific phobia but it's treatable.
Lifebulb’s therapy for phobias has turned out to be a highly effective way to overcome fear of heights through practical and scientific techniques. Proper help and support and anxiety counseling will help overcome fear of heights, and can help you learn to manage your acrophobia and get back to your life!