Acrophobia- Fear of Heights

Acrophobia can lead to anxiety attacks and avoidance of high places. People who suffer from this phobia may go to great lengths to avoid high places such as bridges, towers, or tall buildings.

When faced with heights or anticipating them, a person’s body may become aroused for an emergency. This arousal helps either approach or escape from a threat,  “the fight-or-flight response”. While it is common for people to have some degree of fear when encountering heights, this phobia involves a severe fear that can result in panic attacks and avoidance behaviors. In people with acrophobia, this response can occur when no danger is present.

Agoraphobia- Fear of Environment

Agoraphobia is a fear of being situations where the person perceives their environment to be unsafe with no easy way to escape if things go wrong. These situations can include open spaces, public transit, shopping centers, or simply being outside their home.

People often misunderstand agoraphobia as just a fear of open spaces, but it is more complex. Situations that may trigger fear in people with agoraphobia include:

• crowded or enclosed spaces

• open and remote spaces

• being far from home

Claustrophobia -Fear of Confined Spaces

Claustrophobia is a situational phobia triggered by an irrational and intense fear of tight or crowded spaces. It can be triggered by things like being locked in a windowless room, being stuck in a crowded elevator, or driving on a congested highway.  Claustrophobia is one of the most common phobias.

The feeling of being closed in without being able to get out can lead to a panic attack. Such feelings can also cause sufferers to avoid everyday places, even though they are aware that there is not any real danger. Like any phobia, the claustrophobia severity can vary widely from person to person.