Thanatophobia Symptoms Of Thanatophobia

Thanatophobia Symptoms of Thanatophobia. These are usually people who are in overall good health, and those with high self-esteem who are open to talking about death. This group makes up part of the death-positive movement gaining momentum in American society. Death positivity focuses on encouraging people to talk openly about death, dying, and what happens after we die.

 

But there are also people who may not be able to address death with positivity. They may have very intense fear, verging on becoming a psychological condition that can affect their daily lives, like a phobia. Which is how the term “thanatophobia” was created.

 

Thanatophobia commonly referred to as death anxiety, is an intense fear of death or the process of dying. The word comes from the Greek words ‘Thanatos’ meaning death, and ‘Phobos’ meaning fear.

 

Examples of thanatophobia

People can exhibit a fear of death and die in many ways. You might have a full-on panic attack at the thought of entering a hospital. You might refuse to attend funerals. Or, you might avoid the topic when a loved one is dying. These are some of the more common ways that people allow their fear to come through.

 

Sometimes people avoid visiting their friends and relatives who are ill or dying because the thought of death alone causes them great anxiety. In contrast, you may be fully aware that human life ends at some given point, and this may be the very thing that causes you to fear. Some other ways that people exhibit a fear of death are:

 

• Fear of others who are dead or dying
• Fear of entering funeral homes
• The thought of death
• Fear of being harmed
• Knowledge of the human life cycle
• Fear of their own death
• General anxiety lasting all day long
• Constantly worrying about everything that could go wrong
• Fears about their own health
• Fears about their loved one’s health
• Looking to the past to gauge the future

 

Whilst it is normal that many people will have some worries about death, for some, thinking about death or the process of dying can cause extreme fear and anxiety.

 

In extreme cases, thanatophobia can stop people from leaving their homes or completing their regular daily activities, causing a lot of disruption to normal functioning.

 

Freud was believed to be the first to coin the term thanatophobia in 1915 in his essay titled ‘Thoughts for the Time on War and Death’.

 

Freud suggested that death-related fears reflected unresolved childhood conflicts rather than a fear of death itself.

 

He believed that the fear of death was related to one’s unconscious belief in immortality, stating: ‘our unconscious does not believe in its death; it behaves as if immortal’.

 

Research over the years has demonstrated that there are two separate but connected constructs to death anxiety: the fear of death and the fear of the dying process (Depaola et al., 2003).

 

Thanatophobia Symptoms of Thanatophobia. Death anxiety has also been characterised as a conscious fear of the unknown, fear for the body after death, a fear of lost time, a fear of suffering, and a fear of loneliness.

 

Becker (1973) suggested that death anxiety is a real and basic fear that underlies many forms of anxiety disorders and phobias.

 

Becker argued that humans may manage this anxiety by living with the cultural view that offers immortality either literally (e.g., a belief in the afterlife) or symbolically (e.g., life achievements or through families).

 

His view was that much of people’s energy is focused on the denial of death as a strategy to keep the death anxiety under control.

 

Death anxiety is often believed to be a core basic fear for many with different mental health disorders.

 

Those with panic disorder, may frequently fear collapsing, dying, or suffering a medical emergency as a result of a panic attack.

 

People with panic disorder tend to report substantially greater anxiety about death than those with conditions such as social anxiety disorder (Furer and Walker, 2008).

 

According to a 2017 survey by Chapman University, up to 20.3% of Americans are afraid or extremely afraid of dying. The UK shares similar figures in regards to the prevalence of fear of dying, approximately 20%. Although death anxiety is common, certain demographics are more prone to developing a phobia. These include:

 

Young people. A study in 2007 revealed that death anxiety peaks for both men and women during their 20s and declines as they age.

 

Women in their 50’s. The same study showed that women in their 50s often experience a resurgence of their fear of death. Men, however, do not.

 

People with health issues. People who struggle with their health, geriatrics in particular, also have a deeper fear of death.

 

Children of aging parents. While the elderly tend to be anxious about the process of dying, it is their children that fear actual death (theirs and their parents) more. The study also suggests that the children project their fear of death on their parents.

 

• Fear of death in children

Thanatophobia Symptoms of Thanatophobia. Some children may become afraid of death and this is considered to be normal childhood fear up to the age of 16. Although it may be distressing for the parents to deal with a child who is afraid of dying, it is not always considered a mental health emergency.

 

Nevertheless, if a child displays multiple symptoms of extreme anxiety due to thoughts of dying or anything else, a mental health professional must be consulted to assess the situation.

 

It’s important to remember that children grapple with the idea of death in a different manner than adults. To begin with, children lack life experiences, religious beliefs, and defense mechanisms to face the concept of death.

 

• Fear of death and depression

Thanatophobia is often linked to depression and a host of other disorders like panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and hypochondria among others. Managing death anxiety or fear of dying may require a person to address and treat their depression.

 

Thanatophobia Symptoms of Thanatophobia. A person who has a strong sense of self-worth or holds the belief that they are leading a meaningful life is less likely to develop thanatophobia.

 

The reverse can also be true in that thanatophobia may result in depression. This can happen especially if the affected individual has started isolating themself from family and society. A person with death anxiety needs to seek professional help if they are worried that their condition is getting worse. Early intervention can prevent the problem from compounding.

 

What Causes Thanatophobia?

Death anxiety is triggered in different ways for different people. It’s not the same for everyone. Uncontrolled and racing thoughts are the main culprits for the onset of this form of anxiety. Some of these fears follow you from childhood and other instances of past traumas.

 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) also may cause an irrational fear of death. The following are some examples that can cause someone to have death anxiety.

 

• Near-death experience

When you’ve suffered a traumatic event such as a near-death experience (NDE), you’re more likely to develop death anxiety. The reality of dying and facing your own mortality sets in now that you’ve experienced a very close call with death. You might begin obsessing over when it will happen next, and if the next time will be when you finally die.

 

Some people lose the fear of death after experiencing an NDE because they have the ability to anticipate what comes next when they die.

 

• Illness leading to death

Thanatophobia Symptoms of Thanatophobia. If you are suffering a chronic or long-term illness, the fear of dying has had time to develop as you contemplate what happens next. You may be considering if there is an afterlife, or if there is a heaven and hell.

 

If you have a spiritual and religious background, it can come into play as you prepare to face your own death. The stronger your faith or your belief in God is, the less likely you are to develop this fear when faced with illness.

 

Spiritual texts can prepare you for what comes next, and it’s then a matter of what your beliefs are, and what you accept as being true for the afterlife.

 

• Automobile accidents

When you have experienced being in a car accident, the fear of death may be triggered by it regardless if the accident was a minor one with no injuries or a major one with life-threatening ones.

 

The possibility of death or the thought of “I could’ve died” is what causes that fear to set in — not necessarily the severity of the accident. It may take months for you to finally feel safe getting behind the wheel again or riding in an automobile after an accident.

 

• Aging

Getting older and facing the end of your life span can create a lot of panic and fear in you about dying. Science tells us that the human body is only built to last a certain number of years.

 

Mentally, most of us take that age range and place ourselves toward the end of that lifespan curve. Lots of us rarely stop to contemplate that we may die before reaching the “end” of that span.

 

As we look in the mirror and see our aging image staring back at us, or when we see our children and grandchildren reaching an age of maturity, the reality that we are getting “old” sets in. This might send you into panic mode as the end of the scale gets closer to our current age.

 

• Exposure to death

Thanatophobia Symptoms of Thanatophobia. Being exposed to death on a regular basis can trigger death anxiety. People who work as EMTs, police officers, and in the healthcare industries are constantly around those who are dead or dying.

 

Some natural reactions may be to accept that dying is a part of life, to develop a sometimes irrational fear of death, or to become unfazed by it. Again, it all depends on the person who is being affected.

 

• Skirting around the topic

The more you ignore death or choose to call it anything other than what it is, the more likely you are to develop an unhealthy fear of it. When you use euphemisms for death when talking about it, you aren’t being open and direct about what it is.

 

You may have been brought up by parents who spoke in code when the children were around, or who couldn’t themselves accept that death is a natural part of life.

 

Regardless of how your family talked about death, using flowery language to mask the truth may contribute to fearing it later in life.

 

Is Thanatophobia A Mental Illness?

Is Thanatophobia A Mental Illness? Thanatophobia is not defined as a distinct disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).

 

However, it falls under the category of phobias, particularly under the type of specific phobias.

 

It can also be coexisting alongside other mood or anxiety disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, and illness anxiety disorders.

 

The DSM-5 diagnostic criteria that must be met for a specific phobia to be diagnosed are as follows:

 

Marked fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation. The phobia object or situation almost always provokes immediate fear or anxiety. The fear or anxiety is out of proportion to the actual danger posed by the specific object or situation, and to the socio-cultural context.

 

Is Thanatophobia A Mental Illness? The phobic object or situation is actively avoided or endured with intense fear or anxiety. The fear, anxiety, or avoidance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

 

The fear, anxiety, or avoidance is persistent, typically lasting for 6 months or more. The disturbance is not better explained by the symptoms of another mental disorder, including fear, anxiety, and avoidance of situations associated with panic-like symptoms; objects or situations relating to obsessions (as in obsessive-compulsive disorder);

 

reminders of traumatic events (as in PTSD); separation from home or attachment figure (as in separation anxiety disorder); or social situations (as in social anxiety disorder).

 

People who are experiencing thanatophobia may endure some of the following cognitive symptoms:

 

• Experiencing intense anxiety or worry when encountering or thinking of death or dying.

 

• Having excessive fear of death that gets in the way of their life.

 

• Immediate fear or anxiety when thinking about dying or the process of dying.

 

• General feelings of anxiety or depression.

 

• Feelings of guilt

 

• Feelings of agitation

 

Is Thanatophobia A Mental Illness? Since phobias are part of an anxiety disorder, there may be physical symptoms that are experienced when faced with anxiety:

 

• Sweating

 

• Shortness of breath

 

• Racing heart

 

• Nausea

 

• Stomach pains

 

• Headaches

 

• Panic attacks

 

• Fatigue or insomnia

 

• Dizziness
• Sensitivity to hot or cold

 

Due to the above symptoms, someone with thanatophobia may behave in certain ways to cope with their anxiety, such as:

 

Actively avoiding any situation that involves death or dying – this could include avoiding movie or TV shows which involve a character death or avoiding talking about funeral plans.

 

• Isolating oneself from friends and family for an extended period.

 

• Reassurance seeking from others.

 

• Body checking behaviours such as checking heart rate, or excessive checking for body abnormalities.

What Are The Symptoms Of Thanatophobia?

What Are The Symptoms Of Thanatophobia? Depending on the person, the situation, and the stressors present, a person with a phobia of death could live a very typical life with very few signs of a problem.

 

Other people with the condition could experience high levels of fear and anxiety daily that compromise their ability to complete daily activities, fulfill work duties, learn in school, and maintain healthy relationships.

 

Phobias tend to influence people in ways unique to that specific fear. People with a fear of vomiting could limit their eating and become severely underweight, and people who are afraid of doctors may avoid medical care, resulting in numerous health issues.

 

A person with thanatophobia could spend each day thinking about death, whether their own or the death of a loved one. Because they are so focused on the issue, they could appear unable to do anything else.

 

Since people with phobias generally work hard to avoid their fears, a person with thanatophobia could avoid going anywhere, doing anything, or being around anyone if there is a chance of danger or injury. They may choose to stay in their home or a few areas they deem as “safe.”

 

Thanatophobia Symptoms of Thanatophobia. Thanatophobia can appear to share symptoms with other conditions like illness anxiety disorder or somatic symptom disorder because it creates excessive anxiety related to physical health conditions, but thanatophobia is grounded in the irrational fears of a phobia.

 

Children with thanatophobia and other specific phobias may appear to be more defiant and disobedient. As they try to avoid triggers that may refuse to follow through with directives from parents and teachers.

 

They may tantrum often or cling closely to their parents for reassurance. With older adults, identifying thanatophobia may be more challenging as issues of death and dying become more common and expected. As with other age groups, the excessive levels of fear will stand out.

 

What Are The Symptoms Of Thanatophobia? Doctors do not classify thanatophobia as a distinct condition, but it can be classified as a specific phobia.

 

The mental health experts and clinicians tasked with differentiating typical worrying about death from thanatophobia will look carefully at the symptoms of specific phobias, like extreme fear and active avoidance.

 

What Are The Symptoms Of Thanatophobia? Some of the most common symptoms of thanatophobia include:

 

• Notable fear or anxiety about a certain situation, object, or item related to death and dying. For some, it could be going to hospitals, hearing about another’s illness, or reading the obituary section in the newspaper.
• Thoughts of death create this powerful reaction immediately and consistently
• The person goes to great lengths to avoid death, thoughts of death, knowledge of other people dying and seeing death on TV
• The fear of death is not proportional to the actual situation with the person having strong reactions to minor stressors

 

With all specific phobias, these symptoms must continue for at least months to meet the criteria for the condition. Additionally, the symptoms related to thanatophobia cannot be more strongly linked to other conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or separation anxiety.

 

Thanatophobia Symptoms of Thanatophobia. Something that may cloud the symptoms of thanatophobia is that most people with specific phobias will also present with other mental health symptoms and conditions. In clinical practice, people rarely seek treatment only for fear of death and dying.

 

Some of the mental health disorders that regularly emerge alongside phobias include:

 

• Depressive disorders
• Other anxiety disorders
• Substance use disorders
• Bipolar disorders
• Somatic disorders like illness anxiety disorder and somatic symptom disorder
• Personality disorders, especially dependent personality disorder

 

Each of these disorders has the power to shift and distort the symptoms of thanatophobia. They also complicate proper diagnosis and treatment.

 

Is Thanatophobia Serious?

Is Thanatophobia Serious? Most people look forward to the future with hope and excitement. They think of all the things they want to do and places they want to see. However, other people spend their life dreading the future due to a fear of death, also known as thanatophobia.

 

Thanatophobia can occur at any age, and it can interfere with your daily life. Those that suffer from it aren’t usually afraid of other people dying but are scared of their own death.

 

If you have a fear of death, learning to cope with it is essential. Otherwise, you might miss out on opportunities and experiences. Plus, thanatophobia can interfere with your relationships and careers.

 

1. Practice Self-Care

One way to cope with thanatophobia is to take care of yourself. Don’t involve yourself in bad situations, and avoid participating in unhealthy activities. Some of the things you should avoid include smoking, doing drugs, abusing alcohol, and texting while driving.

 

If you can take care of yourself by avoiding bad situations, you won’t fear death as much. When you are participating in risky behavior, the thought of death will be at the front of your mind.

 

2. Explore Spiritual Ideas

Sometimes exploring spirituality can help you cope with the fear of death. Learn about your family’s religious background or current practices. Ask questions about the afterlife as you explore these ideas because that will help you understand it better.

 

Is Thanatophobia Serious? Exploring spiritual ideas can help you develop a stronger faith system. With a stronger foundation, you will have an easier time coping with thanatophobia.

 

You don’t only have to stick with your family’s spiritual background, either. Spend time exploring different spiritual beliefs and practices until you find one that resonates with you.

 

3. Explore Philosophical Ideas

If spirituality isn’t for you, then you can explore philosophical ideas instead. Philosophy can help you cope with thanatophobia because many philosophers discuss death. You can explore many of the misconceptions about death that might cause you to fear it.

 

4. Do What You Want or Need to Do

In other words, regain control of your life to cope with fearing death. Spend time with people that make you happy, and avoid those that cause you to feel anxious or uneasy. Stay active and engage with the world around you, and do things that bring you joy.

 

If you have any business to take care of or someone to talk to, do it right away. Waiting will only bring further fear of death. When you have these things weighing on you, it can be hard to feel like you are in control of your life.

 

Likewise, staying at a job that makes you unhappy will make you feel like you can’t reach your dreams. When you don’t live life the way you want to, you will dread the end of your life and fear it constantly.

 

This is true for your relationships, too. If you are in an unhealthy relationship, get out of it as soon as you can. You must spend time with people you love and love you in return if you want to cope with your fear.

 

5. Spend Time Outside

Is Thanatophobia Serious? Spending time in nature can help you appreciate the world around you. Surprisingly, when you appreciate the world, you fear death a little less.

 

Appreciation for nature helps you see that you are part of something much bigger than yourself. Additionally, it can give you a chance to become comfortable with the natural cycles of life.

 

6. Stop Unproductive Thinking

When you try to predict the future by thinking of what could happen or go wrong, it is unproductive thinking. This thought process causes negativity and is a direct link to thanatophobia because it causes you to dread things. If you can shift your thinking to more productive thoughts, you will feel better and fear death a little less.

 

7. Create Habits or Take on Rituals

Rituals might make you think of religious topics, but anything can be a ritual. Find something positive that makes you feel good and do it once each day. This could include taking a walk after dinner, lighting a candle when you wake up or writing in a journal.

 

With these rituals, you will find meaning in your life. Your days will seem more fulfilled, and you won’t dread the end quite as much. Plus, they will give you something to look forward to each day instead of thinking of the bad things that could happen.

Thanatophobia NHS

Thanatophobia NHS. Thanatophobia can affect people of any age or gender but seems more common amongst people in their 20s, and women. Some studies have noted that younger people fear death itself, whereas older people are worried about the process of dying.

 

Some people develop an extreme fear of a loved one, such as their child, dying. Anxiety often has no obvious cause, but phobias such as thanatophobia seem more likely to peak in people who have worries in other areas of their lives, including stress or social isolation.

 

Thanatophobia NHS. If you have thanatophobia the death of someone close to you, especially if you were very young when it happened, might be a possible cause of it.

 

If you or someone you love is suffering from thanatophobia or any other type of anxiety, you can get psychotherapy on the NHS. You can refer yourself to these services, or ask your GP to do it for you.

 

The British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies has a directory of accredited CBT therapists in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. You can be seen more quickly by private therapists, but it can be very expensive.

 

Thanatophobia NHS. The NHS has a list of several mental health apps that might help you manage the anxiety caused by thanatophobia.

 

Extreme ‘death anxiety’ might seem unusual, but many people are affected by it and you should not be ashamed of being open about your feelings and pursuing treatment if you feel that it might help you.

Thanatophobia Test

Thanatophobia Test. There isn’t a test for diagnosing thanatophobia. Your healthcare provider will carefully review your symptoms and ask a variety of questions about your fear of death. They rule out other conditions that can cause similar symptoms, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder or other anxiety disorders.

 

Thanatophobia Test. Healthcare providers typically diagnose specific phobic disorders when:

 

• Symptoms last for six months or longer.
• Symptoms occur as soon as you encounter the feared object or situation.
• Fear is about a specific object or situation, such as death or the dying process.
• You go out of your way to avoid the object or situation you fear.
• You have trouble functioning in your daily life due to your fear.

 

Thanatophobia Test. There’s no way to prevent thanatophobia. But you can reduce its effects on your life by:

 

• Avoid things that can make anxiety worse, like caffeine, drugs, or alcohol.
• Forming a supportive network of family members, friends, and healthcare providers.
• Get help as soon as you notice symptoms.

Thanatophobia Pronunciation

Thanatophobia Pronunciation. You can learn how to pronounce “thanatophobia” easily. Listen to spoken audio pronunciation of “thanatophobia” online, record your pronunciation using a microphone, and then compare it with the recorded pronunciation.

 

Thanatophobia Pronunciation. With the record and play feature on most pronunciation sites, you can not only hear the English pronunciation of “thanatophobia”, but also learn how to say “thanatophobia” in English on your own.

 

Thanatophobia Pronunciation. Also, your pronunciation of “thanatophobia” depends on the country. Below are Thanatophobia is pronounced in both UK and US.

 

THANATOPHOBIA /θˌanətəfˈəʊbiə/ pronunciation in British English

THANATOPHOBIA /ˌθæn ə təˈfoʊ bi ə/ pronunciation in American English US

 

Thanatophobia Treatment

Thanatophobia Treatment is dependent on the person’s personal goals: whether they want to treat their anxious symptoms, drop safety behaviours, find a healthy way to think about death, or be able to think about death without extreme anxiety for instance.

 

1. Medication

Some treatments which work for other anxiety disorders could also be recommended for those with thanatophobia. To help with the symptoms of anxiety, medications may be prescribed:

 

• Benzodiazepines – a type of medication that has a sedative effect, meaning they slow down the body and brain’s functions.

 

These medications, such as alprazolam, diazepam, lorazepam, and clonazepam are all used to treat conditions such as anxiety and panic disorders.

 

These can be taken in particularly anxiety-provoking situations, but they are quite strong with a lot of side effects so are not usually recommended for long-term use.

 

• Antidepressants – selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed longer-term medications for anxiety.

 

They work by correcting the imbalance of serotonin in the brain and have been proven to be effective in relieving the symptoms of anxiety disorders and depression.

 

Examples of SSRIs including citalopram, sertraline, and fluoxetine are usually a lot more tolerable than stronger medications but can still come with side effects such as headaches, nausea, and sweating.

 

2. Therapy

Thanatophobia Treatment. A common therapy for phobias and other anxiety disorders is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). This involves working with a therapist to identify negative thought patterns and behaviours.

 

Once identified, these can be challenged and worked through using different activities and methods to change these negative thoughts and behaviours into more realistic and healthy ones.

 

3. Dropping safety behaviours

Specifically for thanatophobia, CBT can help individuals to drop safety behaviours such as body checking, reassurance-seeking, and other behaviours which are prominent in death anxiety.

 

Once these behaviours have been identified with the therapist, these could be monitored by using a diary for instance. In the diary, individuals can report the antecedents or consequences of these behaviours.

 

The clients can record the situation, and thoughts related to the behaviours and rate their anxiety levels.

 

With the therapist, the client can select target behaviours they want to be reduced – this could be to postpone target behaviours, gradually decrease their frequency, or stop them altogether.

 

When dropping safety behaviours, there may be an increase in anxiety initially, but in the long-term, there should be a significant reduction in the preoccupation with these behaviours and anxiety should be reduced.

 

4. Exposure therapy

Thanatophobia Symptoms of Thanatophobia. Exposure therapy is a common type of therapy, especially for those with phobias. This involves gradually exposing someone to their feared object or situation so that they eventually become desensitised to it, to reduce anxiety over time.

 

For the fear of death, exposure may be implemented through imaginal exposure focused on thoughts and memories related to death and revisiting the bodily symptoms that are cues for death anxiety.

 

The client could be encouraged to read obituaries, read literary accounts of death and loss, or watch TV shows with themes related to death, to help with desensitisation.

 

In therapy, the exposure would need to be repeated enough, at a pace that is comfortable to the client, and for adequate periods, so that there is more chance of a significant anxiety reduction.

 

5. Enhancing the enjoyment of life

Thanatophobia Treatment. When people are fearing death, their attention is often diverted from a focus on enjoying life – there is much less attention given to positive goals.

 

During therapy sessions, there can be time spent on enhancing the enjoyment of life and moving towards personal goals.

 

People with thanatophobia could be encouraged to set aside time to do enjoyable activities and less time focused on the possibility of future loss.

 

It has been found that often, those with death anxiety neglect the importance of a healthy lifestyle and so it can be important to ensure they are taking part in eating healthily and completing some exercise.

 

They may also find it useful to complete relaxation techniques such as deep breathing exercises, yoga, or practising mindfulness to aid with the anxiety symptoms.

 

6. Relapse prevention

Occasionally, setbacks can happen. In the case of death anxiety, physical symptoms, a diagnosis of an illness, or life stress can contribute to relapses.

 

I helpful approach that can be learned in therapy is to prepare for the inevitable life changes and to develop healthy coping strategies.

 

These coping strategies can be tailored to each individual and can be encouraged to be used when experiencing death anxiety.

 

Coping strategies and action plans for anxiety can help individuals learn to maintain a focus on their goals in life.

 

Thanatophobia Symptoms

Thanatophobia Symptoms. Death anxiety can be considered a problem when it stops you from being able to live a normal, healthy, and happy life. Here are some examples of problematic death anxiety:

 

• If you experience extreme, intense anxiety in any mildly dangerous situation.
• If you avoid ordinary life events, like hiking, because of this fear.
• If you’re going to the doctor too often with nothing wrong.
• If you seek out alternative and potentially dangerous ways to stay young forever.
• If you imagine ways that you might die in various situations and experience anxiety over them.
• If you have a significant preoccupation with death and avoiding death, to the point where you think about it more times than not.
• If your fear of death seems to be out of proportion to the level of danger that you face.
• If your fear of death seems to be far stronger than those of the people around you.
• If you feel that your quality of life could be hugely improved by letting go of your fear of death.
• It can be tricky to identify a fear of death as being separate from other psychological disorders. For example, hypochondriasis occurs when a person develops health anxiety. Such health anxiety is often also rooted in fear of death.

 

Thanatophobia Symptoms. Similarly, panic attacks can also be caused by and create a fear of death. Those with panic attacks often develop a deep awareness of their own body and the way they feel.

 

This awareness can lead to noticing any little physical change in the body, such as a little bit of an increase in heart rate, and that sensation can then trigger a full-blown panic attack where the individual feels like they’re going to die, which leads to more distress.

 

Thanatophobia Symptoms of Thanatophobia. It’s for these reasons that looking at death anxiety as a phobia becomes difficult because everyone is afraid of death in some way and there are so many other issues surrounding death that the person might fear. For example, if someone isn’t afraid of death, but they are afraid of dying painfully, is that a fear of death or a fear of pain?

 

• What if they’re afraid of hearing about death and thinking about death, but they’ve come to terms with their mortality?
• What if the person does have a serious illness, and fears death because death is a very real possibility? Is this still a case of anxiety, or is it a normal and appropriate response to a very difficult situation?
• What if they’re not afraid of their death, but rather of what will happen to their family if they die?
• What if they’re constantly fearing death, but this fear isn’t irrational because they live in an environment marked by extremely high levels of violence?

 

Thanatophobia Symptoms. There are so many questions involved when it comes to diagnosing death anxiety. The bottom line is that often, this experience is too complex for self-diagnosis and you should seek out the opinion of a professional.

Thanatophobia Reddit

Thanatophobia Reddit. Here is a Reddit user’s take on death anxiety:

 

Some perspective

Being a contemplator about death myself, I recently pondered upon some things

 

It slightly comforts me (slightly) maybe you too that I won’t be alone to experience death at all. Every single being will experience it sooner or later, those people you see happily going through their lives, those people who are living a very good life, people who everyone looks up to, etc.

 

It’s like a bad thing but happening to all (if that makes sense). Everyone who came on Earth died. Everyone who will come will also die. It is more legit than laws of thermodynamics and converges us all into a spiritual greater unity.

 

Thanatophobia Reddit. One thought is I wonder where the people who lived in the 1800s are now? They’re nowhere, simply just gone, ceased all under the ground. But maybe their consciousness is respawned in many of us reading this but we just simply don’t remember it?….

 

But regarding reincarnation what doesn’t make sense is how is population increasing?…. There simply can not be recycling going on if we look at this

 

Are these things not as complex as we are making them be?…. But we don’t want to accept the simplicity of it just like a child doesn’t want to accept the tooth fairy, Santa isn’t real…….

 

When I think about my earliest memory of childhood, it’s from like 5-6 years old self, and when I try to think back even earlier it’s like there’s simply nothing. It’s like asking what happened before the first scene of the movie.

 

This means our consciousness develops over time as we grow. Do you remember the time you got out of the womb and first opened your eyes? Do you remember being in the womb? Despite you being alive both of these times

 

Thanatophobia Reddit. Also, I read somewhere that kids below the age of like 6 don’t have a perception of the past and future. Only present.

 

Humans being the animals with developed brains have higher degrees of consciousness and it is just only a byproduct of that. Consciousness is itself not a thing. You came to life and neural networks formed and tried to start making sense of your surroundings (as they had been doing for million years in our species) for your survival

 

Do you think animals ever worry about dying when their lifespans are more unpredictable and shorter than us?

 

In my opinion, thanatophobia stems from some past trauma and OCD to fear anything out of control which is just a defence mechanism of our well-developed conscious brains which helps us survive.

 

Or maybe we are just not supposed to think about our deaths like other animals? But we do due to our higher understanding of it

 

Maybe its a sign from the universe to be at comfort with the uncertain and let go

Thanatophobia Symptom Of Thanatophobia Conclusion

Thanatophobia Symptom Of Thanatophobia Conclusion. Thanatophobia is a complex phobia that, if left untreated, can touch every aspect of the individual’s life. However, one must not lose hope but opt for treatments and therapies that can help him/her cope with it. Family and friends can also play a very important role in helping the individual deal with one’s fear of death.

 

Even though it is natural for people to fear the thoughts about their deaths and the process of dying, extreme thoughts about the same are what Thanatophobia is all about. Often the phobia of one’s death is followed by panic attacks and severe anxiety.

 

Thanatophobia Symptom Of Thanatophobia Conclusion. Thanatophobia can be caused due to one’s traumatic history, and symptoms can range from dizziness, hot flushes, panic, sweaty hands, and feet to an unconscious state of being.

 

It can be managed by therapies, including cognitive behavioural therapy, exposure therapy, and psychotherapy. Apart from that, medications for panic and anxiety attacks along with relaxation techniques can also help individuals with the erratic fear of death manage themselves better. With time and therapy, one can manage Thanatophobia more effectively and can control erratic thoughts.

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