Gephyrophobia
Encyclopedia
Gephyrophobia is an anxiety disorder
brought about by the fear of bridge
s. As a result, sufferers of gephyrophobia may avoid routes that will take them over bridges.
Dr. Michael 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.".
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 six times a year.
The Maryland Transportation Authority
offers a similar service for crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge
.
The Mackinac Bridge Authority
, which oversees the Mackinac Bridge, a bridge which connects Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas will drive your car across its span for any needy gephyrophobiacs. Some thousand drivers take advantage of this free program each year.
Gephyrophobia also is a phobia wherein a person sitting in a car will feel fear when the car is climbing up or getting off the bridge. These people will often close their eyes at these times.
Anxiety disorder
Anxiety disorder is a blanket term covering several different forms of abnormal and pathological fear and anxiety. Conditions now considered anxiety disorders only came under the aegis of psychiatry at the end of the 19th century. Gelder, Mayou & Geddes explains that anxiety disorders are...
brought about by the fear of bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s. As a result, sufferers of gephyrophobia may avoid routes that will take them over bridges.
Dr. Michael 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.".
The New York Thruway Authority will lead gephyrophobiacs over the Tappan Zee Bridge
Tappan Zee Bridge
The Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge, usually referred to as Tappan Zee Bridge, is a cantilever bridge in New York over the Hudson River at one of its widest points; the Tappan Zee is named for an American Indian tribe from the area called "Tappan"; and zee being the Dutch word for "sea"....
. 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 six times a year.
The Maryland Transportation Authority
Maryland Transportation Authority
The Maryland Transportation Authority is an independent state agency responsible for financing, constructing, operating, and maintaining eight toll facilities, currently consisting of two toll roads, two tunnels, and four bridges in Maryland...
offers a similar service for crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge
Chesapeake Bay Bridge
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is a major dual-span bridge in the U.S. state of Maryland. Spanning the Chesapeake Bay, it connects the state's rural Eastern Shore region with the more urban Western Shore. The original span opened in 1952 and, at the time, with a length of , it was the world's longest...
.
The Mackinac Bridge Authority
Mackinac Bridge Authority
The Mackinac Bridge Authority is the state agency of the U.S. state of Michigan that operates the Mackinac Bridge in northern Michigan.-History of Authority:...
, which oversees the Mackinac Bridge, a bridge which connects Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas will drive your car across its span for any needy gephyrophobiacs. Some thousand drivers take advantage of this free program each year.
Other uses
Gephyrophobia is also the name of a map in Halo PC; the two bases are connected only by a bridge.Gephyrophobia also is a phobia wherein a person sitting in a car will feel fear when the car is climbing up or getting off the bridge. These people will often close their eyes at these times.