JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Even though bridge collapses are extremely rare, a fear of that experience is very real for some people.
Gephyrophobia is a diagnosis for people who are afraid of crossing bridges. On Tuesday, a ship crashed into the Francis Scoot Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing the bridge to collapse. Six workers who were missing are presumed to be dead.
Mental health therapist Jay Powell said it’s a common diagnosis.
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“Somebody who kind of witnessed or saw what happened in Baltimore, probably dealing with a lot of confirmation anxiety, you know, your worst fear confirmed and everything that somebody told you was nonsensical just happened right before your eyes,” Powell said.
News4JAX spoke to people about their feelings when traveling across bridges in the River City.
“I don’t have any anxiety traveling along the bridges here in Jacksonville. Maybe I have a little bit of anxiety sometimes going over the Dames Point Bridge because it’s a very high bridge,” Neil Weinreb said. “When it’s wet out I worry about sliding but in terms of the bridge being dangerous itself, I think they’re all pretty reasonably well-inspected.”
“I think if anything, it would raise concerns about maritime traffic, you know, possibly hitting it,” Bernard Tebo said.
Powells said people can cope with their fear by looking at a local point or listening to music if they suffer from nausea or dizziness.