Who is at risk for aerophobia?
Aerophobia is most common in people between the ages of 17 and 34. This is a time in life when significant changes occur, such as graduation, marriage or childbirth. People may be scared that flying jeopardizes their life at such an important time. It’s possible for someone to fly without anxiety for years, and then develop aerophobia.
What causes aerophobia?
Aerophobia usually doesn’t have a specific cause. It’s very rare for aerophobia to stem from a traumatic experience on a flight. Specific triggers might include:
- News stories about terrorism, crashes or violence on airplanes.
- Take-off and landing.
- Thoughts about fire or illness spreading through the plane.
- Turbulence (bumps during the flight).
Other phobias can also make aerophobia worse:
What are the symptoms of aerophobia?
If you have aerophobia, you might avoid flying at all costs. This could mean missing family vacations or refusing to travel for work. You might insist on other modes of transportation, such as cars, buses or trains — even if they’re less convenient than flying. If you have aerophobia, you might also avoid movies, books or news stories that relate to air travel. Or you may become obsessed with learning about security measures at airports and on planes.
It’s also possible for people with aerophobia to have panic attacks before or during a flight. Symptoms may include:
FAQs
People with aerophobia might feel intense anxiety before or during a flight. This condition can interfere with your ability to travel for work or pleasure. If aerophobia is affecting your quality of life, talk to your healthcare provider. With psychotherapy, most people can conquer their fear of flying.
How can you treat aerophobia? ›
Aerophobia is typically treated with therapy, medication, or a combination of the two. Anti-anxiety medications can help manage symptoms before and during a flight. Exposure therapy is commonly used to treat aerophobia, by allowing an individual to become gradually more adjusted to the ideas and sensations of flying.
What triggers aerophobia? ›
People who have had a bad experience on an airplane in the past may develop flight phobia. If a loved one has had a bad experience on a plane, it can also cause the onset of flight phobia. Due to social learning, flight anxiety can also develop in people who have never flown before.
Is aerophobia a mental disorder? ›
Flying phobia is a highly prevalent anxiety disorder, which causes sufferers significant distress and life interference.
What is the best drug for aerophobia? ›
These drugs are usually taken shortly before a flight. They include: Anti-anxiety medication, such as diazepam (Valium) or alprazolam (Xanax). Motion sickness medication, such as dimenhydrinate (Dramamine).
What is the best sedative for fear of flying? ›
Benzodiazepines, such as clonazepam, help reduce anticipatory anxiety and can enable a patient to manage fear and anxiety during the initial stages of exposure therapy [15].
What sedative is good for flight anxiety? ›
1) Diazepam is a sedative, which means it makes you sleepy and more relaxed. If there is an emergency during the flight it may impair your ability to concentrate, follow instructions and react to the situation.
Does fear of flying ever go away? ›
If your fear is truly paralyzing, you're probably best off seeking professional help. "Mental health professionals can help individuals overcome a fear of flying through the use of cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure and response prevention," says Dr.
Why am I suddenly afraid to fly? ›
There is good empirical evidence that people who end up developing a fear of flying, most of them have had some type of stressful life experiences. That could mean that they had air travel stress. They may have experienced trauma in their lives. They may have a history of panic attacks.
How common is fear of flying? ›
Fear of flying is quite common. About one in six people have a significant fear that prevents them from flying, and about one in five regular flyers use alcohol or prescription drugs to 'help' them through a flight.
Doctors normally prescribe their anxiety patients with limited doses of . 25mg-0.5mg. While Xanax may be useful for flying on an airplane, it will not help you with your anxiety. It may help in the moment but you will not tackle your fear of flying if you are asleep the whole flight.
What is the best treatment for acrophobia? ›
Like most phobias, cardiophobia can be treated with approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy and systematic desensitization. By learning to recognize the symptoms as they arise and disentangle them from your anxiety about your health, you may start to see an improvement both physically and psychologically.
How do I get rid of acrophobia? ›
The good news is that with time and dedication, acrophobia can be overcome. One of the main treatments for acrophobia is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). With this form of therapy, behavioral techniques that expose the individual to the feared situation—in this case, heights and high places—are employed.
