10 pts to the first person who can tell me the proper term for being afraid of heights?

Question

I took an educated guess and got it on a gameshow last night.

Answer 1

Acrophobia (from Greek ἄκρος, meaning "summit") is an extreme or irrational fear of heights. It is a particular case of specific phobias, which share both causes (differing in the source of the phobia) and options for treatment

Answer 2

Acrophobia (from Greek ἄκρος, meaning "summit") is an extreme or irrational fear of heights. It is a particular case of specific phobias, which share both causes (differing in the source of the phobia) and options for treatment.

Acrophobia can be dangerous, as sufferers can experience a panic attack in a high place and become too agitated to get themselves down safely. Some acrophobics also suffer from urges to throw themselves off high places, despite not being suicidal.

"Vertigo" is often used, incorrectly, to describe the fear of heights, but it is more accurately described as a spinning sens
1 Causes of acrophobia
2 Notable people with acrophobia
3 Popular culture
4 External links

Cause of Acrophobia
The most widely accepted explanation is that acrophobia stems from fear — fear of falling and being injured or killed: this is a normal and rational fear that most people have (people without such fears would die out).

A phobia occurs when fear is taken to an extreme — possibly through conditioning or a traumatic experience. Then, the mind seeks to protect the body from further trauma in the future, and elicits an extreme fear of the situation — in this case, heights.

This extreme fear can be counter-productive in normal everday life though, with some sufferers being afraid to go up a flight of stairs or a ladder, or to stand on a chair, table, (etc.).

Some neurologists question the prevailing wisdom and argue that acrophobia is caused by dysfunction in maintaining balance and that the anxiety is both well founded and secondary. According to the dysfunction model, a normal person uses both vestibular and visual cues appropriately in maintaining balance. An acrophobic overrelies on visual signals whether because of inadequate vestibular function or incorrect strategy. Locomotion at a high elevation requires more than normal visual processing. The visual cortex becomes overloaded and the person becomes confused. Research is underway at several clinics. [1] [2] Some proponents of the alternate view of acrophobia warn that it may be ill-advised to encourage acrophobics to expose themselves to height without first resolving the vestibular issues.

Answer 3

Encyclopedia: Acrophobia Source:Wikipedia
Acrophobia (from Greek ἄκρος, meaning "summit") is an extreme or irrational fear of heights. Acrophobia can be dangerous, as sufferers can experience a panic attack in a high place and become too agitated to get themselves down safely.

Answer 4

Acrophobia

Answer 5

Acrophobia is simply a severe fear of heights Now being afraid of heights is a common and sometimes appropriate feeling

Answer 6

Acrophobia.

Answer 7

Altophobia

Answer 8

acrophobia...but apparently, I'm not speedy enough on the keyboard to be the first answer! (: Would it matter if I told you I was typing this at 18,000 feet over Los Angeles?

Answer 9

Seems like you got your answer, but for everyone saying "vertigo" - isn't that when you are dizzy?

And it's a U2 song.

Answer 10

ACROPHOBIA

OR...

Altophobia, Batophobia, Hypsiphobia or Hyposophobia