Last Updated on January 15, 2023 by Mike Robinson
What is Batophobia?
Batophobia is an extreme and irrational fear of heights. It is an anxiety disorder in which the person feels panic and terror when exposed to their phobic stimulus. It is a type of specific phobia, so it is similar to claustrophobia, blood phobia, and spider phobia.
Therefore, a person with batophobia will feel extreme anguish and anxiety when they are around high or intimidating structures. This could include mountains and tall trees as well.
Anguish and anxiety are not limited to high things. The person with batophobia fears situations where they cannot see the top of something.
When the person is put in these situations, they will have physical, mental, and behavioral reactions.
Common Symptoms of Batophobia
So far, we’ve learned that batophobia is a disorder in which a person is terrified of any space in which tall objects surround them.
However, how can we determine for certain whether someone suffers from batophobia?
First of all, it’s important to remember that fear of or avoidance of high buildings, structures, and other objects can be a normal reaction that doesn’t always have to turn into a phobia.
Considering the very nature of people, people not used to seeing these buildings or objects may feel anxiety when in their presence.
The nervous system will become more active because the person feels uneasy.
But if this anxiety reaction isn’t too strong and the fear isn’t out of control, we’re not talking about batophobia. Instead, we’re talking about a completely normal reaction. So, the level of the person’s fear must be considered. That will determine if the fear reaction is normal or abnormal.
How to Diagnose Someone with Batophobia
People who have batophobia experience fear and anxiety in various ways. But just having a fear is not enough to prove that you have this anxiety disorder.
So, if fear does not appear when the person looks up at high objects, like skyscrapers, the person doesn’t suffer from acrophobia.
Additionally, to confirm the fear is batophobia, the following circumstances must be true:
1: The reaction is not consistent with the danger.
The feared stimulus (tall objects) must be a situation that a normal person would not think is extreme, making the person’s fear disproportionate to the situation.
The area where they observe the tall objects doesn’t represent any real danger to the individual. They interpret it as highly distressing and dangerous, even with no danger present. Therefore, they respond with an exaggerated high anxiety response.
2: The reaction is irrational.
The fear is also completely irrational because the person reacts with high anxiety to a neutral situation that is not dangerous.
Also, not only can others see or figure out that the person’s fear is irrational, but the person himself is able to see it that way.
The person with batophobia agrees that his fear is completely illogical, and he can’t explain why he has it or what makes him so afraid of deep spaces.
3: They can’t control the symptoms of anxiety.
The person with batophobia cannot control their anxiety response, and when it appears, it takes over their emotions and thoughts and behaviors.
4: The symptoms are unbearable.
The person with batophobia is not able to participate in activities where tall buildings or objects are close by.
Therefore, when individual is in these surroundings, they will try to escape as soon as possible to avoid their discomfort and high anxiety response.
What are the symptoms of anxiety caused by batophobia?
The anxious symptoms of the disorder have a set of characteristics that make it clear what it is, but they can be different from person to person and show up in different ways.
In general, the physical symptoms of anxiety are more noticeable than the cognitive and behavioral ones, but they are still there and can be important.
The main symptoms of batophobia are:
- faster heart rate
- increased breathing
- abnormal perspiration
- high blood pressure.
- Muscular stiffness.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Stomach ache.
- Chill sensation
- Drowning sensation
- Negative thoughts.
- the sensation of lack of control
- Avoidance behavior.
These are all the symptoms that a person with batophobia can have when exposed to what they’re afraid of. However, not everyone has to show all of them. In general, the most intense and disturbing are the physical symptoms, which happen automatically when a person is in a deep space.
Unfortunately, the anxiety response can sometimes happen just by thinking about being around tall objects.
How to Diagnose Batophobia
Here are additional diagnostic criteria that must be met to be able to tell if someone has batophobia:
Although we specify the criteria for the diagnosis of batophobia below to provide a better understanding of the disorder, a medical professional must always diagnose this psychopathology.
- An acute and persistent fear that is excessive or irrational. This symptom is triggered by the presence or anticipation of situations involving deep spaces.
- Exposure to phobic stimulation almost invariably triggers an immediate anxiety response, which may take the form of a crisis of situational distress more or less related to a given situation.
- The person recognizes that this fear is excessive or irrational.
- The phobic situations are avoided or endured at the cost of intense anxiety and discomfort.
- Avoidance behaviors, anxious anticipation, or discomfort caused by feared situations interfere with the person’s normal daily activities.
- In those under 18 years, the duration of these symptoms must have been at least six months.
- Anxiety, panic attacks, or phobic avoidance behaviors related to the stimuli cannot be better explained by another mental disorder.
Causes of batophobia
Finding the source of phobias is usually difficult. The first place to consider are events that happened at an early age that may have caused trauma.
In fact, batophobia is not thought to have a single cause. Instead, it is most likely caused by a combination of things.
In some cases, a link can be seen between being exposed to deep and traumatic events as a child and developing a fear of depths and heights as you get older.
In the same way, hearing or seeing scary stories or images about deep spaces can also contribute to the development of batophobia.
Most of the time, there are no direct links, which supports the idea that genetic factors are also involved.
Treatment Options for Batophobia
The main way to treat batophobia is through psychotherapy with a psychologist specializing in this disorder.
Psychotherapy is the most effective method to use when treating phobias. Research shows that patients have more satisfying results with this option when compared to other options.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is the type of psychotherapy most effective in overcoming this disorder.
Other therapies can also be helpful; therefore, it is best to go to a psychotherapist who specializes in this type of treatment if you have this disorder.
The cognitive behavioral treatment for phobias usually incorporates the following steps:
1: Exposing patients to the stimuli
It is the first step in getting over batophobia, and it involves putting the patient in situations that trigger their fear, like going in places where there are high buildings.
Research shows that avoiding feared stimuli is what prevents individuals from getting over their fears. Therefore, responses of fear and anxiety are always subconsciously waiting to arise.
So, exposing yourself to feared stimuli in a controlled setting can help you feel less panic and get over your fears.
2: Start with small increments of exposure.
Some patients respond to their fear with extremely high levels of anxiety and other symptoms. For these patients, systematic desensitization is a better option. In this approach, patients are exposed to their feared stimuli for just a few seconds at a time. The exposure time is increased gradually as the patient’s symptoms reduce in intensity.
3:Use relaxation techniques.
Relaxation techniques like meditation or yoga are helpful in relaxing the patient by slowing down their heart rate and breathing. This is typically performed before the exposure portion of the treatment. Calming the patient down before the treatment will assist in lowering the impact of the system once the exposure stage begins.
Also read Entomophobia: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments.
4: Cognitive therapy
Cognitive therapy eliminates strong negative thoughts and beliefs about the feared stimulus and ensures they don’t get in the way of the person’s daily life.
