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Bathophobia
Bathophobia is an abnormal and intense fear of deep
places or looking into deep places. A person with
bathophobia would also have a fear of heights, which is
known as acrophobia (or altophobia). People with
bathophobia will usually become nervous when thinking
about falling from heights or being consumed by objects
with significant depth (e.g., deep caves, staircases,
escalators, a sink hole, a well, deep water, or long and
dark hallways). People with bathophobia would be fearful
around such situations. Some fear of heights and depth
(even in non-human animals (is natural because it helps
protect the organism from serious harm. However,
traumatic events involving depths can make the fear
much worse.
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Knowing of someone who suffered a traumatic event involving depths (e.g., drowning)
can also cause the condition. Never learning how to effectively deal with depths (e.g., not
learning how to swim) can also contribute to the condition.
A phobia is an abnormal and intense fear of something. The main feature of a specific
phobia is that it is a significant and persistent fear of a clearly known, specific situation
(such as responsibility) or specific object (such as a deep place). In specific phobias, the
feared situation or object is avoided or endured with intense anxiety and distress.
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Exposure to the feared object or situation almost always causes
anxiety. People with specific phobias realize their fear is excessive
or unreasonable. To be diagnosed with a specific phobia, the
person's avoidance, anxiety, or distress about the source of fear
needs to significantly interfere with his/her normal routine, job
functioning, school functioning, or social functioning. Alternatively, to
be diagnosed with a specific phobia, the person needs to have
significant distress about having the phobia. Bathophobia comes
from the Greek word "bathos" meaning "depth," and the Greek word
"phobos" meaning "fear." Put the two words together and you have
"fear (of) depth."
