A person who has a strong feeling of panic when he or she is in high places of any kind: Linda discovered that she was an acrophobic after experiencing the breakdown of a glassed-in elevator which was located on the outside of a building.

An Acrophobic Shared His Experiences

1. For one man, life was an unnerving affair.
2. The "high anxiety" of a twenty-seven year old civil servant suffered from a condition that restricted both his personal and professional lifestyles.
3. His walk-up apartment in the city where he lived was about six feet above ground level which he considered "safe" enough.
4. He worked on the fourth floor of a downtown office building where he generally avoided windows.
5. If he looked out, it was straight across at the windows of a neighboring building. He didn't dare look down at the hustle and bustle below.
6. This phobic always walked the four floors, up and down, because the elevator was a "no-no" for him.
7. His acrophobia made him avoid high rises, airplane rides, and car trips through mountainous areas.
8. Jaunts to trendy penthouse restaurants were out, as were midway and cable car rides and such "in" sports as mountain climbing, sky-diving, and hang-gliding were obviously out of the question.
9. "Height makes me light-headed. I start to tremble and talk reassuringly to myself. If I look down to the ground from a high place, I feel nauseous and want to vomit. I have an overwhelming urge to get out of there, just to get away."
10. Although it meant personal sacrifice, this acrophobic learned to live with his phobia. "So far I've been able to get around it. I just don't go to high places. I can find alternate places to go, and other things to do."