Altophobia, or the fear of heights

Altophobia, also referred to as acrophobia, is an extreme fear of heights. While a cautious approach to heights is helpful for survival, an extreme fear can interfere with everyday activities, such as climbing stairs or even standing on a chair.

Altophobia can be dangerous as sufferers can experience a panic attack when in high places, for example when on top of a mountain they become too agitated to get themselves down safely.

Causes

Traditionally, altophobia has been attributed to a traumatic past experience involving heights, but recent studies have suggested the fear of falling to be a non-associative fear. This theory links the fear of heights to an instinct found in many mammals, including human beings, to adapt to a world where falls pose a significant danger.

A possible contributing factor to altophobia can be a dysfunction in maintaining balance. The human balance system use vestibular and visual signals to determine position and motion. As height increases, visual signals recede and balance becomes poorer. Most people respond by relying more on the equilibrium, but the altophobic continues to over-rely on visual signals, which ultimately leads to confusion.

Treatment

There is no specific cure for altophobia and medications merely suppress the symptoms. The most successful therapy is called cognitive behavioural therapy where a person learns how to deal with the phobia in a step-by-step approach through cognitive thinking and then is gradually exposed to the situation that causes his or her fear. The key is to replace negative associations with positive ones. However, it is suggested by some researchers that possible balance issues should first be resolved before exposing altophobics to heights.

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