Thanatophobiais an unusual or abnormal fear of personally dying and/or being dead that impacts the otherwise “normal” or healthy functioning of the person possessing this fear that might appear disproportionate to an outsider relative to the actual risk or threat the individual faces.
While most people generally experience some level of discomfort or anxiety when confronted with the reality of human mortality in adying/deathsituation such as in a hospital, home, or hospice during the dying process, or during a funeral, memorial, or interment service after a loved one dies, this uneasiness doesnotgenerally constitute thanatophobia (although this term is sometimes misapplied in these instances).
Genuine thanatophobia must:
Is Fearing Dying and/or Death Normal?
Regularly washing your hands to inhibit the spread of germs, or brushing your teeth regularly to prevent cavities and gum disease, are normal, healthy responses to genuine concerns.
Harboring somefear of dying/deathis generally beneficial because it can motivate you to improve your health through regular exercise, following a balanced diet, and overcoming an addiction.
Moreover, a healthy concern about losing your life can also influence you to thoroughly consider the risks involved before undertaking a new physical activity or placing yourself in a potentially harmful or dangerous situation. But again, these sort of responses to a normalfear of dying/deathdo not generally rise to the level of thanatophobia.
Causes
As noted above, fearing the loss of your life is both natural and generally beneficial but typically doesn’t rise to the level of thanatophobia unless your fear also affects your otherwise normal lifestyle and/or your response might appear disproportionate to an outsider relative to the actual risk or threat you face.
Any fear concerning an object or situation can potentially rise to thelevel of a phobia. Many people dislike finding a spider in their home, for example, but unless your fear of these creatures induces you to actually leave your home after discovering one crawling on a wall or forces you to avoid forests, parks, or other areas that harbor spiders at all costs, etc., then your fear of spiders generally doesn’t constitute arachnophobia.
While the causes of any phobia are complex, thanatophobia (and our fear of death in general) can arise from any/all of the following concerns people usually feel about their personal mortality, to name but a few:
The specific causes of thanatophobia within any single individual is often complex. If you suspect you suffer from this particular phobia, then you should seek care from a qualified mental health professional.
Necrophobia vs. Thanatophobia
Necrophobiais different from thanatophobia. While both terms are often confused or misapplied to refer to the same fear, necrophobia refers to an intense, often irrational, fear people exhibit when confronted with dead “things” such as the remains of a deceased human being or animal, or an object we typically associate with death, such as a casket, coffin, cemetery, funeral home, tombstone, etc.
Word Origin
Our modern English word thanatophobia derives from two Greek words:
When Your Fears About Dying Are Unhealthy
2 SourcesVerywell Mind 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.Online Etymology Dictionary. “Thanato”.Online Etymology Dictionary. “Phobia”.
2 Sources
Verywell Mind 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.Online Etymology Dictionary. “Thanato”.Online Etymology Dictionary. “Phobia”.
Verywell Mind 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.
Online Etymology Dictionary. “Thanato”.Online Etymology Dictionary. “Phobia”.
Online Etymology Dictionary. “Thanato”.
Online Etymology Dictionary. “Phobia”.
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