A fear of death is relatively common amongst children but has been particularly heightened during this coronavirus crisis. Death anxiety amongst children can manifest in a variety of behaviours including teariness, anxiety, anger, unspecific “worries”, clinginess, risk-taking behaviour, and nightmares.
Between the ages of 5 and 7 years, children gradually begin to develop an understanding that death is permanent and irreversible and that the person who has died will not return.
While it's normal for kids to have some anxiety about this, it's important to help them understand and cope with these feelings in a healthy way. Here are a few tips on how to ease worries about death. Most kids will experience fearful thoughts about death.
Thanatophobia in Children
Children with thanatophobia and other specific phobias may appear to be more defiant and disobedient. As they try to avoid triggers that may refuse to follow through with directives from parents and teachers. They may tantrum often or cling closely to their parents for reassurance.
Common fears include fear of the dark, burglary, war, death, separation or divorce of their parents, and supernatural beings (such as ghosts and monsters).
The studies claim that death anxiety peaks in men and women when in their 20s, but after this group, gender plays a role in the path that one takes.
Fearing death also makes it harder for us to process grief. A recent study found that those who were afraid of death were more likely to have prolonged symptoms of grief after losing a loved one compared to those who had accepted death.
Thanatophobia, or death anxiety, is a form of anxiety disorder that involves an intense fear of death. It can lead to an overwhelming anxiety about a person's own death or the process of dying. Death anxiety is not defined as a distinct disorder, but it may be linked to other depression or anxiety disorders.
Thanatophobia is an intense fear of death or the dying process.
Anxiety may present as fear or worry, but can also make children irritable and angry. Anxiety symptoms can also include trouble sleeping, as well as physical symptoms like fatigue, headaches, or stomachaches. Some anxious children keep their worries to themselves and, thus, the symptoms can be missed.
Why do kids talk about death? It may be unsettling to hear your preschooler talking about death but it's developmentally normal. At this age, they're obsessed with the “whys” of the world. They're trying to make sense of everything in the world around them…
It's possible for a specific event or experience to trigger thanatophobia. For instance, you may develop death anxiety if you: Have a traumatic experience related to death or dying. Lose a parent or loved one.
Does death anxiety go away? The good news is fear of death fades as a person ages. Men who experienced thanatophobia in their 20's usually overcome their fear and are less likely to feel dread towards the subject later on.
The anxiety can be pervasive, but it can also be treated. If you feel that your anxiety and phobia around death interfere with your regular daily responsibilities and last longer than 6 months, consider checking in with a healthcare or mental health professional to discuss your potential options.
The reasons why death is scary are often related to the fears of the unknown, of non-existence, of eternal punishment, of the loss of control, and fear of what will happen to the people we love.
If the belief is strongly rational then it is certainly rational to fear death. However, if the belief is not irrational, i.e. it is a belief that is by no means proved but is not substantially inferior epistemically to its rivals, then it is also rational to fear death.
Humans also fear death because they view death as an annihilation of their person, a radical personal transformation, a threat to the meaningfulness of life, and a threat to the completion of life projects.
The presence of death anxiety is reported to peak in middle age and disappear in the elderly (20, 24, 25).
While a fear of death sign can be a symptom of OCD, it's also a fear that affects many people from time to time, without necessarily indicating any greater mental health concern. It may also indicate other conditions, most commonly a specific phobia called thanatophobia.
Next steps. Stress is unlikely to be fatal for most people, but prolonged exposure to stress can lead to mental and physical health problems, including death in severe cases. But dying from stress is unusual and is likely the result of a heart attack or another cardiovascular issue.
Anxiety and distress about death is a common fear for young children and teens. For most kids, this fear will gradually diminish as they grow, gain new experiences, and acquire different coping skills. A more severe fear of death, however, may require professional intervention.
Death anxiety is a common phenomenon in all societies. Older adults may be more prone to death anxiety than their younger counterparts; however, death anxiety among older adults is not well understood.