Fear of dying - What is thanatophobia and is it treatable?

We’ve all been there; you’re trying to fall asleep and suddenly you can’t stop thinking about how and when you’re going to die. Everyone thinks about their own mortality from time to time and it’s natural to feel uneasy about it, but for some of us, it becomes this constant fear in the back of our minds, that stops us from enjoying our lives.

Sound familiar? If you can’t stop worrying about death and it's affecting you day-to-day, you might be experiencing thanatophobia. Thanatophobia is an intense fear of death and the process of dying, which is sometimes referred to as ‘death anxiety’. If you have thanatophobia, you might worry about your own death or the death of a loved one.

Thanatophobia isn’t classed as an official mental health condition, but it can be a symptom of a mental health condition, like anxiety, panic disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Living with thanatophobia can be exhausting and even debilitating, but learning about it can help you to take back control and understand how to manage it.  

What does thanatophobia feel like?

• You worry excessively and frequently about death and dying. This will look different from person-to person, but for instance, some people might worry about whether death will be painful, others might worry that they’re going to die suddenly, and some people might worry about what happens after death and the idea of non-existence.

• You avoid situations, places, conversations or topics that are associated with death or could trigger thoughts about death. This might include certain TV shows, going to hospitals or attending funerals.

• You feel extremely anxious when you think about or hear about death.  

• You might have physical anxiety symptoms, like sweating, a thumping heart, nausea, shortness of breath, dizziness, headaches.

• You might struggle to sleep because you feel anxious.

What can cause thanatophobia?

There are lots of reasons why someone might develop thanatophobia, and sometimes it can be down to a mix of different experiences and circumstances. Thanatophobia can be triggered by a serious illness, a near-death experience or the death of a loved one. All of these things put death right at the forefront of your mind, so you might find yourself contemplating it and worrying about it more often.

Similarly, if you have a job where you regularly witness trauma or illness, like a doctor, nurse or a social worker, you could be more likely to experience thanatophobia because you deal with death more than the average person.  

Mental health can also play a role. If you have an existing mental health issue, like anxiety, OCD or health anxiety, you might struggle with intrusive thoughts and worrying excessively. When you’re someone who tends to catastrophize or jump to the worst case scenario, it’s not a huge leap for your brain to latch onto fears about death or dying.

Can thanatophobia be treated?

Thanatophobia, or death anxiety can be extremely difficult to live with, but the good news is that it can be treated.

One of the most popular and effective treatments for thanatophobia is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT is a form of talking therapy that can help you to manage your mental health by showing you how to recognise and challenge negative thoughts and behaviours so that they no longer rule your life.

If you are given CBT for thanatophobia, you will work with your therapist to:

1. Identify negative thoughts and beliefs that are fueling your fear of death.

2. Challenge these unhelpful thoughts and learn to look at things from a more balanced point of view.

3. Develop coping strategies for anxiety symptoms. This might include deep breathing exercises, mindfulness or grounding techniques.

4. Use exposure therapy to gradually confront death-related situations or topics to help you reduce avoidance behaviours. This could look like talking about dying or visiting a hospital. Just to note - although exposure therapy is often used in CBT, not all courses include this.  

5. Learn to accept that death is part of life, without feeling panicked or consumed by this thought.

Marcia, a therapist at ieso added…

‍"Meet yourself and your anxiety with kindness. Our tricky brains can create really tough images or scenarios and we can react to them as if they are true. Once we learn that our brains are trying to protect us, we can start to meet that scared part with more compassion. Your therapist can guide you to change your relationship with these thoughts & images in a supportive setting.”

You can access CBT by making an appointment with your GP, who will refer you to a mental health service. However, you can also refer yourself quickly and easily through ieso.  

At ieso, we offer typed CBT, where therapists and patients speak by tying back and forth via our online secure portal. All sessions are completely confidential, with flexible appointment times to fit around you. We also offer video calls in some areas if you would prefer to speak with one of our experienced therapists face-to-face. Find out more here.

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