Most of my friends and family don't actually know this, but I have acrophobia. Have you heard of it?
Yes, I'm afraid of heights too, but I don't know much about the condition. Do you?
I do! A lot of people know that it's a fear of heights, but they don't realize that the fear can hit even if you're not very high up.
Really? That's interesting. What kinds of effects does the condition have on people? Panic attacks?
Panic attacks and agitation, mostly. It's also interesting because it's twice as likely to affect women than men (I'm one of the unlucky men).
I'm one of those unlucky men too! What else can you tell me about the condition?
Well, most doctors think that it's due to a traumatic experience and/or conditioning (kind of like Pavlov's dogs). It doesn't seem to be innate in humans.
So it's not hereditary, but arises from experience. Is there a particular experience that you think led to your fear?
Probably just falling so many time when I was an infant! Some researchers think acrophobia is heriditary; but most infants have zero fear of heights.
I remember being very afraid as a small child when visiting the Grand Canyon, so my fear goes back a long time.