Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDefinition of a PhobiaSymptomsCausesDiagnosisThanatophobia vs. Natural FearsTreatmentCopingFAQ
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Definition of a Phobia
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Thanatophobia vs. Natural Fears
Treatment
Coping
FAQ
Thanatophobiais an intense fear of death or the dying process.
While it’s natural to fear death, thanatophobia (also known as death anxiety) is so extreme that it causes panic attacks and interferes with a person’s emotional wellbeing, as well as their ability to function in daily life.
This article discusses what causes someone to fear death and dying, and how the fear manifests itself. It also reviews how this disorder is diagnosed and treated, and how you can better cope while undergoing therapy.
Verywell / Mira Norian
What Is a Phobia?
An estimated 12.5% of U.S. adults experience specific phobia at some time in their lives.Common phobias includeagoraphobia(fear of certain places), arachnophobia (fear of spiders), andsocial phobia(fear of being judged or embarrassed in social situations).
Phobias, including thanatophobia, often occur in people with other mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and bipolar disorder.
What Does Thanatophobia Feel Like?
Thanatophobia can cause symptoms that can impact both physical and mental wellness.
Symptoms of thanatophobia may include:
Symptoms of thanatophobia occur when confronted with random thoughts or a specific event associated with death, such as being in a hospital, reading an obituary, or hearing about someone’s death.
Thanatophobia in Children
Children can also experience thanatophobia, but it tends to manifest with defiant behavior rather than the typicalsymptoms of anxiety.
For example, signs and symptoms of thanatophobia in a child might include:
Unlike an adult with thanatophobia, a child can’t understand that their fear is irrational.
What Causes a Fear of Death?
The exact cause of thanatophobia is unknown, but a variety of factors can increase a person’s risk of developing the disorder:
Diagnosis of Thanatophobia
All psychiatric conditions listed in the DSM-5 are diagnosed based on a clearly defined list of criteria. If an individual meets the diagnostic criteria for a specific condition, they can be treated per the recommendations outlined in the manual.
Thanatophobia is not a distinct disorder but falls under the larger umbrella of specific phobias.
Specific phobias have the following diagnostic criteria:
Is a Fear of Death Normal?
Fearing death is a normal part of being alive, but having a phobia involves an extreme and unusual amount of anxiety around a certain situation.In the case of thanatophobia, that may mean avoiding any situation in which a person is dead or dying (such as a funeral or hospital), movies that depict death, or talking about death at all.
Treatment for Thanatophobia
Psychotherapyis the cornerstone of treatment for thanatophobia. Medications are also sometimes used to manage symptoms of anxiety.
Psychotherapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)is the most effective therapy for thanatophobia. The focus of CBT for thanatophobia is the identification of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings about death and dying, after which steps are taken to change negative thought patterns.
Exposure therapy involves gradual exposure to the object of your fear while working through the anxiety symptoms with positive self-talk and relaxation techniques.For example, fearing death might involve watching movies in which someone dies.
It is conducted over multiple sessions of roughly two hours and can be performed one-on-one or in groups sessions in specific cases.
Medications
Medications are less commonly used to treat phobias but may be useful in reducing anxiety symptoms that can negatively impact a person’s life.
Commonly prescribed antidepressants used to treat anxiety include:
Benzodiazepinesare another class of medications that can be used to treat phobias. These drugs are fast-acting and are taken during acute anxiety or panic episodes. These medications can be addictive, however, and have side effects like fatigue and drowsiness.
Commonly prescribed benzodiazepines include:
Coping With Thanatophobia
The best way to cope with thanatophobia is to seek treatment with a qualified therapist or psychiatrist. With that said, there are coping strategies that you can use to better avoid or deal with acute anxiety episodes.
Among them:
How to Cope With Severe Anxiety
Summary
Thanatophobia is an irrational fear of death and dying. This condition causes severe anxiety symptoms when confronted with even the topic of death or dying. Symptoms can include sweating, shortness of breath, increased heart rate, nausea, and feeling powerless.
Thanatophobia can develop due to older age, previous trauma, a history of abuse, the death of a loved one, or the environment in which you were raised. Treatment primarily involves therapy, although medications can help.
Frequently Asked QuestionsNo. Thanatophobia is an irrational fear of dying, while necrophobia is a fear of dying or dead bodies.Talking to a therapist can help you address your fear of dying. Ask your healthcare provider for recommendations or use anonline directoryto find a therapist near you.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Thanatophobia is an irrational fear of dying, while necrophobia is a fear of dying or dead bodies.
Talking to a therapist can help you address your fear of dying. Ask your healthcare provider for recommendations or use anonline directoryto find a therapist near you.
16 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Iverach L, Menzies RG, Menzies RE.Death anxiety and its role in psychopathology: reviewing the status of a transdiagnostic construct.Clin Psychol Rev. 2014;34(7):580-93. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2014.09.002National Institute of Mental Health.Specific phobia.American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. Washington DC: APA; 2013.Sinoff G.Thanatophobia (death anxiety) in the elderly: the problem of the child’s inability to assess their own parent’s death anxiety state.Front Med. 2017;4. doi:10.3389/fmed.2017.00011MedlinePlus.Phobia - simple/specificLebowitz ER, Leckman JF, Silverman WK, Feldman R.Cross-generational influences on childhood anxiety disorders: pathways and mechanisms.J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2016 Sep;123(9):1053–67. doi:10.1007/s00702-016-1565-yAnxiety Disorders Association of America.Anxiety disorders in children.Balasubramanian C, Subramanian M, Balasubramanian S, Agrawal A, Raveendran S, Kaliaperumal S.“Thanatophobia”: physician’s perspective of dealing with patients with fear of death.J Nat Sci Biol Med.2018 Jan-Jun;9(1):103–4. doi:10.4103/jnsbm.JNSBM_102_17Lebel S, Mutsaers B, Tomei C, et al.Health anxiety and illness-related fears across diverse chronic illnesses: a systematic review on conceptualization, measurement, prevalence, course, and correlates.PLoS ONE. 2020;15(7):e0234124. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0234124Chalhoub Z, Koubeissy H, Fares Y, et al.Fear and death anxiety in the shadow of COVID-19 among the Lebanese population: a cross-sectional study.PLoS One.2022;17(7):e0270567. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0270567Eaton WW, Bienvenu OJ, Miloyan B.Specific phobias.Lancet Psychiatry. 2018 Aug;5(8):678–86. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-XAnxiety & Depression Association of America.Different types of mental health therapies.Anxiety & Depression Association of America.Medication options.National Library of Medicine.Common antidepressants and how they work.United States Drug Enforcement Association.Benzodiazepenes.National Health Services (UK).Symptoms - phobias.
16 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Iverach L, Menzies RG, Menzies RE.Death anxiety and its role in psychopathology: reviewing the status of a transdiagnostic construct.Clin Psychol Rev. 2014;34(7):580-93. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2014.09.002National Institute of Mental Health.Specific phobia.American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. Washington DC: APA; 2013.Sinoff G.Thanatophobia (death anxiety) in the elderly: the problem of the child’s inability to assess their own parent’s death anxiety state.Front Med. 2017;4. doi:10.3389/fmed.2017.00011MedlinePlus.Phobia - simple/specificLebowitz ER, Leckman JF, Silverman WK, Feldman R.Cross-generational influences on childhood anxiety disorders: pathways and mechanisms.J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2016 Sep;123(9):1053–67. doi:10.1007/s00702-016-1565-yAnxiety Disorders Association of America.Anxiety disorders in children.Balasubramanian C, Subramanian M, Balasubramanian S, Agrawal A, Raveendran S, Kaliaperumal S.“Thanatophobia”: physician’s perspective of dealing with patients with fear of death.J Nat Sci Biol Med.2018 Jan-Jun;9(1):103–4. doi:10.4103/jnsbm.JNSBM_102_17Lebel S, Mutsaers B, Tomei C, et al.Health anxiety and illness-related fears across diverse chronic illnesses: a systematic review on conceptualization, measurement, prevalence, course, and correlates.PLoS ONE. 2020;15(7):e0234124. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0234124Chalhoub Z, Koubeissy H, Fares Y, et al.Fear and death anxiety in the shadow of COVID-19 among the Lebanese population: a cross-sectional study.PLoS One.2022;17(7):e0270567. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0270567Eaton WW, Bienvenu OJ, Miloyan B.Specific phobias.Lancet Psychiatry. 2018 Aug;5(8):678–86. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-XAnxiety & Depression Association of America.Different types of mental health therapies.Anxiety & Depression Association of America.Medication options.National Library of Medicine.Common antidepressants and how they work.United States Drug Enforcement Association.Benzodiazepenes.National Health Services (UK).Symptoms - phobias.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Iverach L, Menzies RG, Menzies RE.Death anxiety and its role in psychopathology: reviewing the status of a transdiagnostic construct.Clin Psychol Rev. 2014;34(7):580-93. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2014.09.002National Institute of Mental Health.Specific phobia.American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. Washington DC: APA; 2013.Sinoff G.Thanatophobia (death anxiety) in the elderly: the problem of the child’s inability to assess their own parent’s death anxiety state.Front Med. 2017;4. doi:10.3389/fmed.2017.00011MedlinePlus.Phobia - simple/specificLebowitz ER, Leckman JF, Silverman WK, Feldman R.Cross-generational influences on childhood anxiety disorders: pathways and mechanisms.J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2016 Sep;123(9):1053–67. doi:10.1007/s00702-016-1565-yAnxiety Disorders Association of America.Anxiety disorders in children.Balasubramanian C, Subramanian M, Balasubramanian S, Agrawal A, Raveendran S, Kaliaperumal S.“Thanatophobia”: physician’s perspective of dealing with patients with fear of death.J Nat Sci Biol Med.2018 Jan-Jun;9(1):103–4. doi:10.4103/jnsbm.JNSBM_102_17Lebel S, Mutsaers B, Tomei C, et al.Health anxiety and illness-related fears across diverse chronic illnesses: a systematic review on conceptualization, measurement, prevalence, course, and correlates.PLoS ONE. 2020;15(7):e0234124. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0234124Chalhoub Z, Koubeissy H, Fares Y, et al.Fear and death anxiety in the shadow of COVID-19 among the Lebanese population: a cross-sectional study.PLoS One.2022;17(7):e0270567. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0270567Eaton WW, Bienvenu OJ, Miloyan B.Specific phobias.Lancet Psychiatry. 2018 Aug;5(8):678–86. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-XAnxiety & Depression Association of America.Different types of mental health therapies.Anxiety & Depression Association of America.Medication options.National Library of Medicine.Common antidepressants and how they work.United States Drug Enforcement Association.Benzodiazepenes.National Health Services (UK).Symptoms - phobias.
Iverach L, Menzies RG, Menzies RE.Death anxiety and its role in psychopathology: reviewing the status of a transdiagnostic construct.Clin Psychol Rev. 2014;34(7):580-93. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2014.09.002
National Institute of Mental Health.Specific phobia.
American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. Washington DC: APA; 2013.
Sinoff G.Thanatophobia (death anxiety) in the elderly: the problem of the child’s inability to assess their own parent’s death anxiety state.Front Med. 2017;4. doi:10.3389/fmed.2017.00011
MedlinePlus.Phobia - simple/specific
Lebowitz ER, Leckman JF, Silverman WK, Feldman R.Cross-generational influences on childhood anxiety disorders: pathways and mechanisms.J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2016 Sep;123(9):1053–67. doi:10.1007/s00702-016-1565-y
Anxiety Disorders Association of America.Anxiety disorders in children.
Balasubramanian C, Subramanian M, Balasubramanian S, Agrawal A, Raveendran S, Kaliaperumal S.“Thanatophobia”: physician’s perspective of dealing with patients with fear of death.J Nat Sci Biol Med.2018 Jan-Jun;9(1):103–4. doi:10.4103/jnsbm.JNSBM_102_17
Lebel S, Mutsaers B, Tomei C, et al.Health anxiety and illness-related fears across diverse chronic illnesses: a systematic review on conceptualization, measurement, prevalence, course, and correlates.PLoS ONE. 2020;15(7):e0234124. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0234124
Chalhoub Z, Koubeissy H, Fares Y, et al.Fear and death anxiety in the shadow of COVID-19 among the Lebanese population: a cross-sectional study.PLoS One.2022;17(7):e0270567. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0270567
Eaton WW, Bienvenu OJ, Miloyan B.Specific phobias.Lancet Psychiatry. 2018 Aug;5(8):678–86. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-X
Anxiety & Depression Association of America.Different types of mental health therapies.
Anxiety & Depression Association of America.Medication options.
National Library of Medicine.Common antidepressants and how they work.
United States Drug Enforcement Association.Benzodiazepenes.
National Health Services (UK).Symptoms - phobias.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
