Luca experiences extreme anxiety and fear of heights. When looking out the balcony of a 6th floor, he begins to feel nauseous and dizzy, with a shortness of breath. Luca is suffering from:

• A. Generalized anxiety disorder
• B. Phobic disorder
• C. Clinical depression
• D. Panic Disorder
• E. Nothing, he just doesn’t like heights

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the symptoms described in the problem: Luca experiences extreme anxiety, fear of heights, nausea, dizziness, and shortness of breath when looking out from a high place.
2. Recognize that these symptoms are triggered specifically by a situation involving heights, which suggests a situational or specific fear rather than a generalized condition.
3. Review the definitions of the options provided: Generalized anxiety disorder involves persistent and excessive worry about various aspects of life, not tied to a specific trigger. Clinical depression involves persistent sadness and loss of interest, not situational fear. Panic disorder involves sudden, unexpected panic attacks without a specific trigger. Phobic disorder involves an intense, irrational fear of a specific object or situation, such as heights.
4. Match Luca's symptoms to the correct condition: His fear and physical symptoms are directly tied to the specific situation of being at a height, which aligns with the definition of a phobic disorder.
5. Conclude that Luca's symptoms are consistent with a phobic disorder, specifically acrophobia (fear of heights), based on the situational nature of his anxiety and physical reactions.