Necrophobia
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Necrophobia
"Thanatophobia" redirects here. For other uses, see Thanatophobia (disambiguation).
Necrophobia is the medical term for a specific phobia which is the irrational fear of dead things (e.g., corpses) as well as things associated with death (e.g., coffins, tombstones). Necrophobia is derived from Greek nekros (νεκρός) for "corpse" and -phob- from the Greek phobos (φόβος) for "fear."[1] With all types of emotions, obsession with death becomes evident in both fascination and objectification.[2]
Symptoms include: shortness of breath, rapid breathing, irregular heartbeat, sweating, dry mouth and shaking, feeling sick and uneasy, psychological instability, and an altogether feeling of dread and trepidation.[3] The sufferer may feel this phobia all the time, or only when something triggers the fear, like a close encounter with a dead animal or the funeral of a loved one or friend.[4] The fear may have developed when a person witnessed a death, or was forced to attend a funeral as a child. Some people experience this after viewing frightening media.[3]
The fear is an important illness and should be taken seriously. Treatment for this condition includes medication, as well as therapy.[5]
In Archaeology and Anthropology, the term was first introduced by Dr Anastasia Tsaliki in her PhD thesis[6] [7] and related published research[8] [9] to denote the fear of the dead returning to haunt the living, found in several cultures worldwide.
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Thanatophobia
Similar to necrophobia, thanatophobia is the more specific fear of death itself, of being dead or dying. Thanatophobia is derived from Thanatos (θάνατος: "death"), the Greek personification of death. Thanatophobia is not the psychological phenomenon of death anxiety, nor the related but more philosophically-motivated 'existential angst'; death anxiety and existential angst are not phobias. People suffering from thanatophobia are so preoccupied with death or dying that it begins to affect their daily lives. They may even develop other disorders as they try to cope with their phobia, such as obsessive–compulsive disorder or hypochondriasis.[10]
See also
References
- ^ Thomas, Clayton L., M.D., M.P.H. (1993). Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, Edition 18. F.A. Davis. ISBN 0-8036-0194-8.
- ^ Woods, Timothy J. (NaN undefined NaN). "Death in Contemporary Western Culture". Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations 18 (3): 333–343. doi:10.1080/09596410701396071.
- ^ a b Heering, Jan (23rd August 2010). "Necrophobia". How To Cure Necrophobia?. http://www.phobia-fear-release.com/necrophobia.html. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
- ^ "Necrophobia". ThinkQuest. http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00415/Necrophobia.htm. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
- ^ ellis-christensen, tricia. "what is necrophobia?". o. wallace. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-necrophobia.htm. Retrieved 10/15/2011.
- ^ Tsaliki, Anastasia (1997). "Investigation of Extraordinary Greek Human Body Disposals with Special Reference to Necrophobia: Research Outline towards a PhD". British Palaeopathology News: 5-6.
- ^ Tsaliki, Anastasia (2008). AN INVESTIGATION OF EXTRAORDINARY HUMAN BODY DISPOSALS, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO NECROPHOBIA. A Multi-Disciplinary Analysis with Case Studies from Greece and Cross-Cultural Comparisons. University of Durham, UK: Unpublished PhD Thesis.
- ^ Tsaliki, Anastasia (2001). M. La Verghetta and L. Capasso. ed. Vampires Beyond Legend: A Bioarchaeological Approach. Teramo: Edigrafital S.p.A.. pp. 295-300.
- ^ Tsaliki, Anastasia (2008). E. Murphy. ed. Unusual Burials and Necrophobia: an Insight into the Burial Archaeology of Fear. Oxford: Oxbow Books. pp. 1-16.
- ^ Fritscher, Lisa (August 26, 2010). "Thanatophobia: Fear of Death". About.com: Phobias. http://phobias.about.com/od/phobiaslist/a/thanatophobia.htm. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
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