Necrophobia

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Necrophobia
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Human skulls.
Specialty Psychology

Necrophobia is a specific phobia, the irrational fear of dead organisms (e.g., corpses) as well as things associated with death (e.g., coffins, tombstones, funerals, cemeteries). With all types of emotions, obsession with death becomes evident in both fascination and objectification. [1] In a cultural sense, necrophobia may also be used to mean a fear of the dead by a cultural group, e.g., a belief that the spirits of the dead will return to haunt the living. [2]

Contents

The sufferer may experience this sensation all the time, or when something triggers the fear, like a close encounter with a dead animal or the funeral of a loved one or friend. [3] The word necrophobia is derived from the Greek nekros (νεκρός) for "corpse" and the Greek phobos (φόβος) for "fear". [4]

Causes

Necrophobia can have a variety of causes, many of which are still being researched. Many cases of Necrophobia are caused by a traumatic incident, such as a close loved one or pet dying, or encountering a dead body. It has also been found that phobias result from a cultural, or learned response, meaning that an adult's anxiety, paranoia, and fear can be taught to a child that is observing it. That being said, some children can be more prone to anxiety and things of that sort through their genetics. [5]

Another being influence can be the type of media that an individual is consuming. Movies and books from the Horror genre tend to generate a lot of fear around the dead. [5] Researcher Matthew Hudson points out that "our brains are continuously anticipating and preparing us for action in response to threat, and horror movies exploit this expertly to enhance our excitement." [6] Although this is meant to be inducing feeling of excitement, it can harbor emotions of fear. In addition to this, unresolved stress tends to invoke 'defensive and escaping behavior' [7] and can be a contributing factor in necrophobia.

Symptoms

When experiencing effects from necrophobia, symptoms can vary for each individual. Some people can experience physical symptoms caused by triggers (e.g. encountering a dead body/animal, portrayal of death, etc.). These symptoms can include: [5]

As well as some psychological symptoms, such as: [5]

Origin

Necrophobia's known origins stem from Ancient Greek culture and have been present since the Neolithic period. At this time, it was a believed fear that the dead would arise in a state that was "neither living or dead, but rather 'undead.'" [8] They believed that the purpose for this was to harm the living. Because of this fear, many or corpses have been uncovered with stones and amphora fragments placed on them. This was done as a way to pin down the body as a means of ensuring that it will not rise.

The fear that the dead will rejoin the living seemingly connect to their belief in the body and soul separating at death, implying that the soul lives on in another form (e.g., reincarnation, afterlife, etc.). This belief lead people to think that the soul can also be reconnected to the body, [9] or that another spirit could take its place.

Treatment

Although there are no known ways to prevent or cure Necrophobia, there are several treatment options that can help people that people that experienced it. Many treatments involve psychotherapy, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Exposure Therapy. Exposure therapy has actually been found to be the most effective at treating this disorder through desensitization. [10] Medication can also be prescribed to treat this phobia. The antibiotic D-cycloserine is believed to facilitate fear extinction, and can be administered to treat specific phobias. [11]

There are also ways to help yourself cope with phobias as well. These include: [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phobia</span> Anxiety disorder classified by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation

A phobia is an anxiety disorder, defined by an irrational, unrealistic, persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Phobias typically result in a rapid onset of fear and are usually present for more than six months. Those affected go to great lengths to avoid the situation or object, to a degree greater than the actual danger posed. If the object or situation cannot be avoided, they experience significant distress. Other symptoms can include fainting, which may occur in blood or injury phobia, and panic attacks, often found in agoraphobia and emetophobia. Around 75% of those with phobias have multiple phobias.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anxiety disorder</span> Cognitive disorder with an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations

Anxiety disorders are a cluster of mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear such that a person's social, occupational, and personal functions are significantly impaired. Anxiety may cause physical and cognitive symptoms, such as restlessness, irritability, easy fatigue, difficulty concentrating, increased heart rate, chest pain, abdominal pain, and a variety of other symptoms that may vary based on the individual.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panic attack</span> Period of intense fear

Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, sweating, chest pain or chest discomfort, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, numbness, confusion, or a feeling of impending doom or of losing control. Typically, symptoms reach a peak within ten minutes of onset, and last for roughly 30 minutes, but the duration can vary from seconds to hours. Although they can be extremely frightening and distressing, panic attacks themselves are not physically dangerous.

Specific phobia is an anxiety disorder, characterized by an extreme, unreasonable, and irrational fear associated with a specific object, situation, or concept which poses little or no actual danger. Specific phobia can lead to avoidance of the object or situation, persistence of the fear, and significant distress or problems functioning associated with the fear. A phobia can be the fear of anything.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claustrophobia</span> Fear of small spaces

Claustrophobia is a fear of confined spaces. It is triggered by many situations or stimuli, including elevators, especially when crowded to capacity, windowless rooms, and hotel rooms with closed doors and sealed windows. Even bedrooms with a lock on the outside, small cars, and tight-necked clothing can induce a response in those with claustrophobia. It is typically classified as an anxiety disorder, which often results in panic attacks. The onset of claustrophobia has been attributed to many factors, including a reduction in the size of the amygdala, classical conditioning, or a genetic predisposition to fear small spaces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acrophobia</span> Extreme fear of heights

Acrophobia, also known as hipsophobia, is an extreme or irrational fear or phobia of heights, especially when one is not particularly high up. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort, that share similar causes and options for treatment.

Aquaphobia is an irrational fear of water.

Emetophobia is a phobia that causes overwhelming, intense anxiety pertaining to vomit. This specific phobia can also include subcategories of what causes the anxiety, including a fear of vomiting or seeing others vomit. Emetophobes might also avoid the mentions of "barfing", vomiting, "throwing up", or "puking."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fear of needles</span> Phobia of injections or needles

Fear of needles, known in medical literature as needle phobia, is the extreme fear of medical procedures involving injections or hypodermic needles. This can lead to avoidance of medical care and vaccine hesitancy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fear of the dark</span> Common fear or phobia among children and, to a varying degree, adults

Fear of the dark is a common fear or phobia among children and, to a varying degree, adults. A fear of the dark does not always concern darkness itself; it can also be a fear of possible or imagined dangers concealed by darkness. When waking or sleeping, these fears may intertwine with sighting sleep paralysis demons. Some degree of fear of the dark is natural, especially as a phase of child development. Most observers report that fear of the dark rarely appears before the age of two years. When fear of the dark reaches a degree that is severe enough to be considered pathological, it is sometimes called scotophobia, or lygophobia.

Phobophobia is a phobia defined as the fear of phobias, or the fear of fear, including intense anxiety and unrealistic and persistent fear of the somatic sensations and the feared phobia ensuing. Phobophobia can also be defined as the fear of phobias or fear of developing a phobia. Phobophobia is related to anxiety disorders and panic attacks directly linked to other types of phobias, such as agoraphobia. When a patient has developed phobophobia, their condition must be diagnosed and treated as part of anxiety disorders.

Cynophobia is the fear of dogs and canines in general. Cynophobia is classified as a specific phobia, under the subtype "animal phobias". According to Timothy O. Rentz of the Laboratory for the Study of Anxiety Disorders at the University of Texas, animal phobias are among the most common of the specific phobias and 36% of patients who seek treatment report being afraid of dogs or afraid of cats. Although ophidiophobia or arachnophobia are more common animal phobias, cynophobia is especially debilitating because of the high prevalence of dogs and the general ignorance of dog owners to the phobia. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) reports that only 12% to 30% of those with a specific phobia will seek treatment.

Exposure therapy is a technique in behavior therapy to treat anxiety disorders.

Blood phobia is an extreme irrational fear of blood, a type of specific phobia. Severe cases of this fear can cause physical reactions that are uncommon in most other fears, specifically vasovagal syncope (fainting). Similar reactions can also occur with trypanophobia and traumatophobia. For this reason, these phobias are categorized as blood-injection-injury phobia by the DSM-IV. Some early texts refer to this category as "blood-injury-illness phobia."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dental fear</span> Medical condition

Dental fear, or dentophobia, is a normal emotional reaction to one or more specific threatening stimuli in the dental situation. However, dental anxiety is indicative of a state of apprehension that something dreadful is going to happen in relation to dental treatment, and it is usually coupled with a sense of losing control. Similarly, dental phobia denotes a severe type of dental anxiety, and is characterised by marked and persistent anxiety in relation to either clearly discernible situations or objects or to the dental setting in general. The term ‘dental fear and anxiety’ (DFA) is often used to refer to strong negative feelings associated with dental treatment among children, adolescents and adults, whether or not the criteria for a diagnosis of dental phobia are met. Dental phobia can include fear of dental procedures, dental environment or setting, fear of dental instruments or fear of the dentist as a person. People with dental phobia often avoid the dentist and neglect oral health, which may lead to painful dental problems and ultimately force a visit to the dentist. The emergency nature of this appointment may serve to worsen the phobia. This phenomenon may also be called the cycle of dental fear. Dental anxiety typically starts in childhood. There is the potential for this to place strains on relationships and negatively impact on employment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thalassophobia</span> Fear of the sea or large open water

Thalassophobia is the persistent and intense fear of deep bodies of water, such as the ocean, seas, or lakes. Though very closely related, thalassophobia should not be confused with aquaphobia, which is classified as the fear of water itself. Thalassophobia can include fears of being in deep bodies of water, the vastness of the sea, sea waves, aquatic animals, and great distance from land.

Interoceptive exposure is a cognitive behavioral therapy technique used in the treatment of panic disorder. It refers to carrying out exercises that bring about the physical sensations of a panic attack, such as hyperventilation and high muscle tension, and in the process removing the patient's conditioned response that the physical sensations will cause an attack to happen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panic disorder</span> Anxiety disorder characterized by reoccurring unexpected panic attacks

Panic disorder is a mental and behavioral disorder, specifically an anxiety disorder characterized by reoccurring unexpected panic attacks. Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear that may include palpitations, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, numbness, or a feeling that something terrible is going to happen. The maximum degree of symptoms occurs within minutes. There may be ongoing worries about having further attacks and avoidance of places where attacks have occurred in the past.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fear of flying</span> Fear of being in a flying vehicle whilst in flight

Fear of flying is a fear of being on an airplane, or other flying vehicle, such as a helicopter, while in flight. It is also referred to as flying anxiety, flying phobia, flight phobia, aviophobia, aerophobia, or pteromerhanophobia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Submechanophobia</span> Fear of submerged man-made objects

Submechanophobia is a fear of submerged human-made objects, either partially or entirely underwater. These objects could be shipwrecks, statues, sea mines, animatronics as seen in theme parks, or old buildings, but also more mundane items such as buoys, chains, and miscellaneous debris.

References

  1. ↑ Woods, Timothy J. (July 2007). "Death in Contemporary Western Culture". Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations. 18 (3): 333–343. doi:10.1080/09596410701396071. S2CID   143702616.
  2. ↑ Tsaliki, Anastasia (2008). Murphy, Eileen M. (ed.). Unusual Burials and Necrophobia: An Insight into the Burial Archaeology of Fear - Deviant Burial in the Archaeological Record. Oxbow Books. ISBN   978-1-84217-338-1. Archived from the original on 23 May 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  3. ↑ "Necrophobia". ThinkQuest. Oracle Education Foundation. Archived from the original on 1 August 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2010.[ unreliable source? ]
  4. ↑ Thomas, Clayton L., M.D., M.P.H. (1993). Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, Edition 18. F.A. Davis. ISBN   0-8036-0194-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Necrophobia: 17 Signs, Causes, Treatment, FAQs" . Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  6. ↑ "Horror movies manipulate brain activity expertly to enhance excitement". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  7. ↑ Steimer, Thierry (2002-09-30). "The biology of fear- and anxiety-related behaviors". Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience. 4 (3): 231–249. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2002.4.3/tsteimer. ISSN   1958-5969. PMC   3181681 . PMID   22033741.
  8. ↑ Weaver, Carrie L. Sulosky. "Popular Archeology - Walking Dead and Vengeful Spirits". Popular Archeology. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  9. ↑ Johnston, Sarah Iles (2017-03-31). "Many (Un)Happy Returns: Ancient Greek Concepts of a Return from Death and their Later Counterparts". Coming Back to Life: 17–36. doi:10.2307/j.ctvmx3k11.8.
  10. ↑ Choy, Yujuan; Fyer, Abby J.; Lipsitz, Josh D. (April 2007). "Treatment of specific phobia in adults". Clinical Psychology Review. 27 (3): 266–286. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2006.10.002. ISSN   0272-7358. PMID   17112646.
  11. ↑ Davis, Michael (August 2002). "Role of NMDA receptors and MAP kinase in the amygdala in extinction of fear: clinical implications for exposure therapy*". European Journal of Neuroscience. 16 (3): 395–398. doi:10.1046/j.1460-9568.2002.02138.x. ISSN   0953-816X. PMID   12193180.
  12. ↑ Tercelan Alvarez, E.; Zamora Muñoz, M.; José Moraga, M.; Garcia Alvarez, J. (March 2015). "The Effectiveness of Relaxation Techniques in Anxiety Disorders". European Psychiatry. 30: 1112. doi:10.1016/s0924-9338(15)30878-6. ISSN   0924-9338.


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