When sensations disconcert us, we want to find a name for what happens to us. This way we know what exactly is happening to us and we can solve it. But sometimes it happens that there are two terms that are used interchangeably even though they are not the same and we can get confused. Do you know the difference between vertigo and acrophobia? We consult our dictionary to clarify both concepts.
What is vertigo?
Do you like to walk along the cliffs and stop to see the sea? Perhaps you do not get too close to the shore because you notice a feeling of dizziness or instability, as if everything around you is moving. It can also happen to you in the mountains or when you look out on the terrace of an attic to see a panoramic view of the city. And what about the church tower?
Vertigo is actually a subjective perception of movement around and has several causes, all of them physiological. If vertigo is causing you too much trouble, you’d better see your doctor to rule out a health problem. But the truth is that this feeling is quite common and may even be an adaptive mechanism.
What is acrophobia?
And what does vertigo have to do with fear of heights or acrophobia? Vertigo is precisely one of the symptoms of acrophobia, along with the rest of the reactions linked to anxiety that occurs in all phobic disorders. A fear of heights that is excessive and irrational and that can occur in the mountains, when crossing a bridge over a river, on a rooftop, in an elevator, or even on steep stairs.
When you’re in one of those places, you not only notice vertigo or that everything revolves around you, but also palpitations, muscle stiffness, excessive sweating, and difficulty breathing. Your thoughts lead you to the certain belief that something bad can happen to you at that height, that you are going to fall or that your heart is not going to be able to bear that feeling of fear and panic.
The differences between vertigo and acrophobia
As you can see, although they often occur at the same time, vertigo and acrophobia are not the same. Vertigo, in fact, can also occur in places that are not high, while to notice the symptoms of acrophobia it must be a high place. But the main difference and what will make you distinguish if you suffer from vertigo or acrophobia is the degree of avoidance.
Avoidance is the usual response to all phobias. If you have vertigo, you may have a hard time going up to that roof, but you will not stop doing it if circumstances require it. However, if you have acrophobia, you will do everything possible to avoid going up to the roof, in that glass elevator, you will give up that walk through the countryside to avoid crossing the bridge or you will miss the wonderful views from the cliff.
Acrophobia is limiting and can considerably reduce your quality of life, while vertigo is just a nuisance that goes away as soon as you get off that height. Theca used by the fear of heights, however, remains over time and the mere idea of having to go up somewhere makes all the symptoms appear.
Fear is another factor that distinguishes vertigo from acrophobia. Vertigo does not because you fear, just caution. With acrophobia, high places become an insured danger because you are convinced that you will suffer at least one panic.
And since vertigo and acrophobia are different, you can imagine that this too. Vertigo does not need psychological treatment, but acrophobia does. And the sooner you put yourself in the hands of professionals, the sooner you can regain control of your life.