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Article: Scared silly: what's the difference between a healthy fear and a phobia?(YOUR MIND)
- Article from:
- Current Events, a Weekly Reader publication
- Article date:
- October 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Weekly Reader Corp. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Every time Lamont B., 16, of Brooklyn, N.Y., goes near a window inside a high building, his heart begins to pound and he starts sweating. 'Tin terrified of heights," he explains. "I can't go on rooftops or terraces or near cliff edges without getting dizzy and needing to get away." Lamont suffers from a common fear that doctors call acrophobia, or fear of heights.
But don't assume that Lamont is a fearful person in general. He has plenty of friends and does well in school. Lamont regularly performs his own raps at school talent shows, the kind of activity that makes many people choke up! In fact, stage fright and the fear of speaking in public are among the most ...