for the online game, see Acrophobia (game)

Acrophobia or altophobia is an extreme or irrational fear of heights. The word originates from Greek 'akron' meaning 'summit'.

Acrophobia can be dangerous, as sufferers can experience a panic attack in a high place and become too agitated 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 better described as a spinning sensation.

See also

• List of phobias

Films

• Vertigo — a film by Alfred Hitchcock in which the main character, a police officer, feels vertigo and becomes acrophobic after losing his partner in a high fall
• High Anxiety — a spoof by Mel Brooks in which the main character, a leading psychiatrist, is acrophobic, but throughout the film the disorder is medically referred to as "high anxiety"da:Akrofobi