Acrophobia is a fear of what?
Acrophobia is called visual height intolerance. Up to one-third of people may have some level of visual height intolerance. In the Alfred Hitchcock film "Vertigo", John "Scottie" Ferguson, played by James Stewart, has to resign from the police force after an incident which causes him to develop both acrophobia and vertigo. The word "vertigo" is only mentioned once, while "acrophobia" is mentioned several times. Early on in the film, Ferguson faints while climbing a stepladder. There are numerous references throughout the film to fear of heights and falling. Acrophobia Acrophobia is an extreme or irrational fear or phobia of heights, especially
Acrophobia steeplejacks or wind turbine mechanics. Some people may also be afraid of high wind, as an addition of falling. This is actually known as added ancraophobia. People with acrophobia can experience a panic attack in high places and become too agitated to get themselves down safely. Approximately 2–5% of the general population has acrophobia, with twice as many women affected as men. The term is from the , "ákron", meaning "peak, summit, edge" and , "phóbos", "fear". Traditionally, acrophobia has been attributed, like other phobias, to conditioning or a traumatic experience. Recent studies have cast doubt on this explanation; a