What Keeps Death Anxiety Going?

Worries about dying or losing a loved one are a normal part of life, but if your thoughts about death (or dying) are extremely distressing, time-consuming, or stop you from doing important things, you might be experiencing death anxiety. Some of the key signs of death anxiety include:

• Feeling extremely distressed about death and dying.
• Spending lots of time dwelling on your death or other people dying.
• Having unwanted and distressing images related to death (‘intrusions‘). 
• Avoiding places or activites that remind you of death or dying.
• Going to extreme lengths to prevent or minimize the risk of dying.

Research studies indicate that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for death anxiety. CBT therapists work a bit like firefighters: while the fire is burning they’re not so interested in what caused it, but are more focused on what is keeping it going, and what they can do to put it out. If they can

"One interesting way of thinking about death anxiety is to look at why, for some people, it does not get better by itself. This handout shows some of the most common reasons why some people keep experiencing symptoms of death anxiety. I wonder if we could look at it together and think about whether it describes some of what is happening for you?"

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