Fear of heights is termed as?

Appeared in: RUHS, Jaipur, PB B.Sc Nursing Entrance-2021

Explanation

Acrophobia is the specific phobia characterized by an intense and irrational fear of heights.
The term originates from the Greek words 'akron' (meaning peak or summit) and 'phobos' (meaning fear).
Individuals with acrophobia experience significant distress and anxiety when exposed to heights, often leading to avoidance behaviors that can interfere with daily life.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option A: Algophobia is the specific fear of pain, not heights.
Option B: Claustrophobia is the fear of confined or enclosed spaces, such as elevators or small rooms, not heights.
Option D: Gamophobia is the fear of marriage or commitment, which is a type of social phobia, not a situational phobia related to heights.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Terminology of Specific Phobias as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Understanding the correct terminology for phobias is essential for accurate documentation, communication with the healthcare team, and patient education.
Nurses may encounter patients with phobias in various settings. Recognizing the specific fear helps in providing compassionate care and creating a safe environment (e.g., avoiding placing an acrophobic patient in a room on a high floor if possible).
Recognizing the signs of a panic attack (e.g., tachycardia, sweating, shortness of breath) allows the nurse to intervene promptly with de-escalation techniques, such as calm reassurance and guided breathing exercises.

How to Approach the Question

This is a factual recall question that tests your knowledge of medical terminology, specifically psychiatric terms.
Identify the core concept in the question stem, which is 'Fear of heights'.
Analyze the root words of the options if you are familiar with Greek or Latin prefixes/suffixes. 'Acro-' relates to height or extremity, and '-phobia' means fear.
Evaluate each option based on its definition.
Eliminate the options that define other fears: Algophobia (pain), Claustrophobia (closed spaces), and Gamophobia (marriage).
Select Acrophobia as the term that directly corresponds to the fear of heights.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Terminology of Specific Phobias
Stem keywords: Fear of heights
Lead-in keywords: termed as
Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

Q6nPkE3uSQks0r6aQXSpWf

Reference Book

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) pp. 3869-3872, 15268-15270

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