Death anxiety is ruining my life...

[LeCiel389]

I've had bad anxiety for over a year now, to the point where I was having severe panic attacks every day. After having therapy a few months ago I thought I was alright, but the only thing that hasn't gone away is my death anxiety :/ Since I was around six or seven I remember feeling sick and scared when thinking that I would die someday, and the thought of not existing anymore made me panic uncontrollably.

Every day these thoughts enter my mind, and I just don't know how to make them go away. No matter what someone's phobia is, they can avoid it but this seems like a no-win situation. At night I have nightmares of myself dying, or what it would be like to be dead. I worry about getting ill and dying, or going out and getting murdered or having a driving accident. I'm seventeen and these thoughts just get worse and worse the older I get. Therapy didn't help the thoughts go away, is there anything I can do?

[therapyqueen]

I heard once that little kids are scared of death because they don't know what it is. It's the fear of the unknown that gets them down, but as soon as they understand death better then they aren't as scared of it. Maybe learning more about death and having an answer to the question "what happens when we die?" would help you..... I know that anxiety is more than just changing your attitude though. Have you looked into any medications at all?

[alankay]

LeCiel, yes, since you recall what we now might recognize/call anxiety at that young age(6 or 7), you might have GAD(Generalized Anxiety Disorder) fixating on your mortality. It might be called Necrophobia except you also get anxious about going out and having something happening resulting in death so I'd say its a mix of GAD with a bit of fixation of death(not Necrophobia proper). Now it could be your anxiety is manifesting itself by this fear, as the negative thought of death was grasped upon by your mind and kind of choose it to "vent" anxiety via this thought. If therapy could not identify any specific cause(seeing a death, a funeral at an impressionable age, death of a pet at a vulnerable time/age), then you might be, as I am, a bit predisposed to anxiety. If this is the case the best thing to do would be an SSRI, maybe a 6 months to year long course to see if you benefit. If you feel anxious MOST/or a large part of the day about this it may be a version of GAD. If going to a funeral home, hospice care center, caused panic/high anxiety I'd think more about a simple phobia perhaps but it seems more like an variation of GAD. In this case I'd meet with my GP(or pdoc) and tell him/her of your fears(NO, they won't think you crazy, just anxious), you don't know why, you know you shouldn't be having this degree of fear about death at your age and see if they can get you on an SSRI. Prozac is often opted for for those under 18. That's what I think from what you wrote in the post. Message me any time. Alankay

[alankay]

Oh, Lyrica is also used off label for GAD. Ask your doc if you choose to go that route.(medication)