Aerophobia – Fear of Flying

What is Aerophobia?

Aerophobia is persistent and obsessive fear of being airborne commonly happens when flying with airplanes. The term Aerophobia is derived from Greek words "aero" and "phobia" meaning air and fear respectively.
This surprisingly common form of anxiety disorder affects more and more people everyday. This anxiety disorder prevents people to from going far away places that they want or need to go. This prevents sufferers to get expose to more business opportunities as those would require extensive flying schedule.

What cause this?

This anxiety disorder usually triggered by constant bombardment of airline disasters news stories that are released by the media. Horrific personal flying experiences also have been known to cause this type of anxiety disorder. Even if you have been a frequent flyer and do not have past history of aerophobia before, you could still potentially suffer from this anxiety disorder. This is why it’s not a good idea to watch plane crash movies before flying.

People who suffer Aerophobia normally experience one or more of the following symptoms:
- Short of breath
- Dizziness and Sweating
- Dry mouth
- Heart palpitations
- Nausea or vomiting
- Tense muscle
- Unable to think and speak normally

How does aerophobiac react when they have to fly?

An aerophobic is always looking for excuses to support her/his irrational behavior. The sight of planes taxing at the gates seems like the time bomb clock is starting to tick. A plane which seems to be gigantic from the outside now is looking narrow and tiny when finally you are walking inside it while starting to look for any suspicious devices and people to identify. Before taking a seat an aerophobic normally would have identified the location of the emergency exits. When the stewardess utters words "Prepare to take off", this seems gives the last warning signs. Pretty much during the rest of the airborne time, the aerophobic would be tense at all time. When the plane finally landed, then it gives a big 'Thank God' relief kind of appreciation that one has been spared from death.

There are several methods that have been proven effective to help aerophobiacs:
- Sleeping pills
- Heavy drinking
- Take your mind of the fear
- Seeking counseling from a psychiatrist