Thanatophobia refers to fear of death or dying. It is a psychological condition where people suffer tremendous worry or discomfort when they confront their own or someone else’s death. This fear can show up in several ways like constantly thinking about death, avoiding anything related to death, having panic attacks while thinking about death.
This condition can gravely impact a person’s life and they might need help from a mental health professional, psychologist or psychiatrist to feel better.
According to a study published by the National Institute of Health, elderly people had low levels of death anxiety than their children who had higher levels of death anxiety for themselves and their parents. As per the study, death anxiety is usually absent in elderly but they rather fear the process of dying.
To understand this condition better, OnlyMyHealth interacted with Sargun Bedi, Counselling Psychologist, Lucid Mind, Ghaziabad.
Triggers Of Thanatophobia
Thanatophobia can be triggered by various factors. Bedi helped us list down a few.
• Personal experiences, like loss of a loved one.
• Rising questions in mind about the meaning of life or questions about afterlife can provoke death anxiety.
• Exposure to death related news reports of accidents or violent events, movies and even literature can trigger these fears.
• People with chronic illness, life-threatening conditions or a history of serious health issues may develop a heightened fear of death.
• Ageing and growing old can also lead to increased anxiety about death.
• People with generalised anxiety issues, panic disorder or other anxiety conditions are more susceptible to developing thanatophobia.
• More factors like major life changes, loss of purpose or identity, family history of anxiety disorders can increase the probability of developing such fears.
Summing up the triggers of thanatophobia, Sargun said, “It's important to note that thanatophobia can vary greatly from person to person, and the triggers for one individual may not necessarily apply to another. Additionally, some individuals may experience thanatophobia without any identifiable trigger.”
Also read: Coping Strategies for Managing Panic Attacks: What to Do When Anxiety Strikes
Fears Associated With Thanatophobia
Several fears are associated with thanatophobia that can lead you to the fear of death. Following are the fears associated with thanatophobia with points shared by Bedi.
• Fearing of inevitable death and the unknown aspects of what happens after death.
• Fear of losing someone you love and the emotional impact of their loss followed by.
• Anxiety about the physical and emotional experience of dying, pain, and suffering
• Concerns about ‘what would happen to me after death?’, including religious or existential questions about the afterlife.
• FOMO (Fear of missing out): worries about missing out on future experiences, accomplishments, or relationships due to death.
• Anxiety about leaving important tasks, goals, or relationships unresolved at the time of death.
Adding more, Sargun said, “These fears can vary as per the intensity and may even overlap with other anxiety-related conditions. To summarise, people with thanatophobia may worry about their own death, losing people they love and care about, afterlife, unfinished business, and missing out on life.”
Also read: Does Being Alone Make You Anxious? You May Be Suffering From Autophobia
Effective Ways To Overcome Fear Of Death
Talking about how grave the fear of death and anxiety around it can be, Bedi suggested ways to overcome it.
1. Seeking therapy
2. Practising mindfulness and relaxation techniques
3. Educating oneself about death, dying, and the grieving process reduce one’s death anxiety
4. Creating a sense of purpose, engaging in meaningful activities, pursuing personal goals and nurturing relationships
5. Acceptance about death being a natural part of life
6. Seeking support from friends, family or support groups