Choosing to spend your summer holidays in the mountains or near steep coasts can be more stressful than relaxing when you suffer from fear of heights. Although known, it is the subject of amalgams: between acrophobia and vertigo, do not make the mistake!
Whether during a hike in the mountains or on the edge of a cliff, confronting your fear of heights is sometimes inevitable during the summer holidays. Only, watch out for amalgams! If we tend to say that we have “vertigo” to talk about what is actually called acrophobia, it is essential to distinguish between these two terms in order to better understand what we are suffering from.
The confusion comes from the expression: “Being dizzy“defined by the Larousse as being: “The fear, the discomfort felt above the void, resulting in the feeling of being attracted by it and in loss of balance.
Vertigo, a disorder of the balance system
In reality, vertigo corresponds to a disorder of the balance system — called “vestibular” — linked to an illusion of movement in the immediate environment. It can last from a few seconds to several hours and its frequency can vary, from a single crisis to several, at regular intervals.
In addition, vertigo can be accompanied by various symptoms: nausea, vomiting, sweating, decreased hearing acuity, perception of noises without object, or even headaches. Finally, they can also occur when you are lying down, walking, or making a rapid movement, such as getting up, lying down and turning your head.
Acrophobia, a panic fear of heights and emptiness
While vertigo is physiological, acrophobia is a psychological problem since it is a panic fear of heights and emptiness. Thus, a person suffering from acrophobia will experience strong anxiety that can manifest itself in tremors, increased sweating, or even tachycardia. These symptoms can also be triggered by being confronted with a drop of a few meters, being at altitude, or seeing other people in a situation of height.
In some cases, the fear of heights can become a real handicap: as in all phobias, the people concerned can set up avoidance behaviors. This can mean not visiting certain monuments, like the Eiffel Tower, not hiking at altitude, not walking near a steep coast…
Treatments to treat vertigo or acrophobia
No worries, however: whether you suffer from vertigo or acrophobia, there are treatments. For the latter, it is recommended to undergo cognitive and behavioral therapy. In order to treat dizziness, the doctor is the most appropriate: depending on his diagnosis, drug or surgical treatment may be prescribed, as well as rehabilitation.
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