What is the prognosis (outlook) for acrophobia?

What is the prognosis (outlook) for acrophobia?

Only about 10% to 25% of people who have a specific phobia, such as acrophobia, seek treatment for their condition because many can avoid the situation that they fear. If you have acrophobia, avoiding situations that involve heights can prevent you from completing everyday tasks such as walking up a flight of stairs or crossing a bridge and can lower your overall quality of life. Having acrophobia can also be potentially dangerous if you experience a panic attack while at a significant height, such as while on a ladder. This is why it’s important to seek treatment.

Research has shown that exposure therapy, especially virtual reality exposure therapy, is successful in treating acrophobia. People who have acrophobia and don’t seek treatment are two times more likely to develop a generalized anxiety disorder or depression that’s unrelated to their specific phobia.