Question

Patient:	"I avoid going to any hill station even for a family vacation."
Counsellor:	"Do you avoid going of the terrace of your home too?"
Patient:	"Yes I am terrified of heights even when I know that I am quite safe."
Counsellor:	"When did this feeling first emerge?"
Patient:	"I remember that as a child, I had gone to a hill station with my family. While on a trek, I slipped downhill and hurt myself. Since then, I have been extremely fearful of heights."

1. Identify the psychological disorder shown by the patient.
2. Explain any two symptoms and any one cause of this psychological disorder.

Answer 1

1. The patient is suffering from a psychological condition called specific phobia. It is an extreme and unjustified fear of a particular object, situation, or action.
2. In this mental disorder, the person has physical symptoms such as sweating, shaking, and palpitations when confronted with the feared thing or event. They also make considerable efforts to avoid the object or situation they dread, also known as avoidance behaviour. These two symptoms are indicative of a particular phobia. One of the reasons for a specific phobia is classical conditioning, in which the fearful situation or object is connected with a painful or uncomfortable experience. In this case, the patient may have grown scared of heights after falling and injured himself on a journey when he was a teenager.