It's possible for a specific event or experience to trigger thanatophobia. For instance, you may develop death anxiety if you: Have a traumatic experience related to death or dying. Lose a parent or loved one.
As in any anxiety-related condition, avoidance is one of the most prevalent strategies employed to manage death anxiety. It is not uncommon for people to completely avoid thinking about mortality, and instead, to live as though they were not going to die.
A doctor may recommend that a person with thanatophobia receive treatment for an anxiety disorder, phobia, or for a specific underlying cause of their fear. Treatment involves a form of behavioral or talking therapy.
The studies claim that death anxiety peaks in men and women when in their 20s, but after this group, gender plays a role in the path that one takes.
[12] identified four major themes related to death anxiety experiences. These themes are afterlife fears, alienated farewell, ambiguous separation, and physical dissolution.
If you've ever cared for a loved one going through hospice, you know how anxious and restless they can get. It's referred to as terminal restlessness, terminal agitation or terminal delirium — a syndrome that can occur near the end of life.
The presence of death anxiety is reported to peak in middle age and disappear in the elderly (20, 24, 25).
Next steps. Stress is unlikely to be fatal for most people, but prolonged exposure to stress can lead to mental and physical health problems, including death in severe cases. But dying from stress is unusual and is likely the result of a heart attack or another cardiovascular issue.
The fear of death is irrational, according to Lucretius, because once people die they will not be sad, judged by gods or pity their family; they will not be anything at all. “Death is nothing to us,” he says. Not fearing death is easier said than done.
People with fear of death tend to alternate between one of two forms of thinking about death: Catastrophizing. Imagining all the horrible, painful, scary, sad, and otherwise negative aspects of death.
Anxiety is common in people living with terminal illnesses. It is a natural response to stress but if it lasts a long time or is difficult to cope with, it can affect quality of life.
While a fear of death sign can be a symptom of OCD, it's also a fear that affects many people from time to time, without necessarily indicating any greater mental health concern. It may also indicate other conditions, most commonly a specific phobia called thanatophobia.
The reasons why death is scary are often related to the fears of the unknown, of non-existence, of eternal punishment, of the loss of control, and fear of what will happen to the people we love.
The fear or anxiety is persistent and lasts for longer than six months. The symptoms are not explained by other conditions like agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), separation anxiety disorder, or social anxiety disorder.
Death anxiety is thought to be at the root of other types of phobias. For example, a person's fear of snakes could relate to a concern of being bitten and dying. Or, someone with a fear of heights could be ultimately concerned with falling and dying.
You could call it existential angst and behind it is a fear of death. However, to be anxious about one's demise, ultimately, is to fear life in itself as one cannot separate one from the other. Existential theorists would argue that at the root of all anxiety is ultimately a fear of death.
Fear of death is common among children. In fact, most kids will experience fearful thoughts about death at some point in their lives. They may have a fear of dying themselves, or they may worry that their parents will die. They may even have fears about the family pet dying.
Gently but directly, use the words 'dead' and 'died' within short explanations. Using euphuisms and vague language often creates fear in children. Phrases like “Passed away, gone to sleep, he's with grandma, lost their life” do not explain in concrete terms that their loved one has died.
It is important that you are supportive in your words. Saying things like “I'm here for you.” or “It's okay to be scared.” or asking questions like “Is there something that helps calm you?” can be very meaningful.