Fear of flying
Frightened of flying?
Flying around the world now seems to be
norm. With international markets constantly growing and the lure of cheap
continental holidays we need to get to grips with our phobias.
The
fear
The fear associated with commercial air travel has now become a real issue
for lots of people and causes great anxiety, even though the statistics show that driving around in a car or public transport could be far more dangerous.
There are quite a lot of reasons why people are frightened of flying: -
*
Fear of heights (acrophobia) * The fear of enclosed spaces (claustrophobia) *
Turbulence * Hijacking * Terrorism * Deep vein thrombosis
All of the above and many more reasons will be considered by a person who has a fear of flying and will play on their minds for hours or even days before a flight.
Can't
get on a plane
Some people can't even get on a plane.
They are forced to use other modes of transport like coaches, cars, boats,
or trains which are usually much slower. They will got to great trouble to find another way of getting to their destination even if it is going to cause them great
deal of inconvenience in doing so.
Blame the media
Some blame the media as a reason behind their fear of flying. They make claims that they
always seem to sensationalize an air crash and it's high casualty rate,
but give a very small coverage about automobiles, which cause millions of
accidents worldwide each year.
Panic attacks
A lot of
folks with a really bad fear of flying
report panic attacks even when talking about aero-planes, or if they see
one flying overhead. They can't even watch a film about a plane, or TV programs that may contain
any aircraft footage.
Courses
Many travel
operators and some airline companies are now trying to help people overcome their phobias by running courses that you can
attend, an example of this is Virgin Atlantic.
Other
methods
There is
a method called Progressive Muscle Relaxation, where people focus on how they relax
by varying the tension on various muscle groups. Medication can also be used to help combat a fear of flying.
For those who have anxiety related to a phobia, psychoactive medicines can be prescribed. Benzodiazepines or other relaxant drugs are often used.
A lot of Psychiatrists are quite reluctant to prescribe such drugs due to their intermittent usage.
Alcohol
An increasing number of people will use alcohol to give them some Dutch courage both before and during a flight.
This can give rise to other problems due to the fact that the cabin pressure can cause a person to behave differently.
The thin oxygen content can cause the alcohol to have an enhanced effect,
making the person intoxicated very quickly, which in turn could lead to antisocial
behavior problems resulting in very serious consequences.
For
more articles like this Visit:-
http:www.freetipson.co.uk/
Source:
Article was submitted by
Anthony George for publication.
Back to the Free tips on Healthcare Homepage

© Anthony George 2005 Fear of flying
|