Gephyrophobia

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Gephyrophobia is an anxiety disorder brought about by the fear of bridges. As a result, sufferers of gephyrophobia may avoid route that will take them over bridges. [1] [2] [3]

Dr. Liebowitz, founder of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at the New York State Psychiatric Institute says: "It’s not an isolated phobia, but usually part of a larger constellation ... It’s people who get panic attacks. You get light-headed, dizzy; your heart races. You become afraid that you’ll feel trapped.". [1]

The New York Thruway Authority will lead gephyrophobiacs over the Tappan Zee Bridge. A driver can call the authority in advance and arrange for someone to drive the car over the bridge for them. The authority performs the service about 6 times a year. [1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c "To Gephyrophobiacs, Bridges Are a Terror.", New York Times, January 8, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-01-08. "Mrs. Steers, 47, suffered from a little-known disorder called gephyrophobia, a fear of bridges. And she had the misfortune of living in a region with 26 major bridges, whose heights and spans could turn an afternoon car ride into a rolling trip through a haunted house." 
  2. ^ "Gephyrophobia: A Fear Of Crossing Bridges. Even Before The Minnesota Collapse, Many Have Severe Phobia About Bridges.", CBS News, August 10, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-08. "The monster she fears is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Maryland. At four miles long and 185 feet high, Ayers says the thought of driving the bridge - with the way it rises straight in the air - raises a sense of panic in her." 
  3. ^ "Reasonable fear or bridge phobia?", USA Today, August 8, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-08. "Jerilyn Ross, a psychotherapist and president of the Anxiety Disorder Association of America, notes that phobias are more than just being afraid of a certain object; they are marked by panic. Someone with gephyrophobia is afraid of panicking on a bridge, not necessarily the bridge itself, she says."