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What Is Death Anxiety?

Death anxiety, also called thanatophobia, is defined by HypnoGenesis, a magazine for hypnosis and hypotherapy as "A morbid or abnormal and persistent fear of death or dying." People afflicted with death anxiety may spend a large amount of time obsessing over death or trying to avoid talking about death. Many people experience fear or stress regarding death at some point in their lives. Death anxiety becomes a problem when it stands in the way of experiencing life.

  1. Definition and Symptoms

    • Death anxiety is, in short, an abnormal fear of dying. A person suffering from death anxiety becomes afraid, anxious or unable to function when they think of, talk about, read about, see on television or in anyway hear or experience anything associated with dying.

      According to Dr. Robert Langs, MD in his paper, "Three Forms of Death Anxiety," found on the European Society for Communicative Psychotherapy website, there are three classes of death anxiety. predatory death anxiety, predation death anxiety and existential death anxiety.

      In general, symptoms of death anxiety may include nausea, being unable to catch your breath, shaking, dry mouth, excessive sweating, heart palpitations, trouble thinking clearly, loss of control, feeling detached from reality, anxiety attacks and hyperventilating.

    Predatory Death Anxiety

    • Dr. Langs states that predatory death anxiety causes the person to have stress reactions of fight or flight, similar to what occurs when you are attacked or threatened.

    Predation Death Anxiety

    • Predation death anxiety occurs when the anxious person injures another either accidentally or purposely. The primary reaction in predation death anxiety is self-injurious behaviors or decisions. These behaviors come from guilt from harming another person.

    Existential Death Anxiety

    • Dr. Langs calls existential death anxiety the "most powerful form of death anxiety." This class of the condition is based in the fact that the person knows they will die. They are aware and anticipate their own death. Planning for death becomes a overwhelming activity.

    Victims

    • According to Encyclopedia of Death and Dying, most people experience a low to moderate level of death anxiety throughout their lives. Those with mental and emotional disorders seem to have a higher level of death anxiety than people without emotional disorders. Women report a higher level of death anxiety than men, and elderly people seem to have less death anxiety than younger people.

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