A 20-year-old member asked:
How do you get over the depression?, more like , how do you get over being scared of death or dying someday?
2 doctor answers • 8 doctors weighed in
Dr. Matt Vukinanswered
Psychiatry 18 years experience
Psychotherapy: There is no answer to this question that fits every person. Generically, i would submit that the fear of death doesn't ever completely go away. How we react to these fears and concerns probably has the most relevance for living day to day though. For many, this fear and reality that we all will die instills a sense of urgency to live their lives with the most value and meaning possible.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Matt Vukin commented
Psychiatry 18 years experience
Provided original answer
You're welcome. The space for responses is very limited on this forum, you might find the following book helpful - "Staring at the Sun" by Irivin Yalom MD. He writes often about the issues you noted.
Jan 26, 2012
Dr. William Drescheranswered
Psychiatry 51 years experience
Psychotherapy: It is likely that the known fear, of death or dying, is actually masking an unknown fear that seems worse. The purpose of psychotherapy is to uncover the unknown fear so you no longer use fear of dying to cover it up. The good news is that the unknown fear is probably something that the child was afraid of and that the adult would not be afraid of.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. William Drescher commented
Psychiatry 51 years experience
Provided original answer
Lots of books, but unfortunately they will not help.
If you have a fear that is unknown, no matter how many books you read, it will remain unknown.
Psychotherapy is all that I am aware of that works, and it probably will need to be an insight-oriented psychotherapy, not cognitive.You might try is " Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World."
Research is good.
Jan 29, 2012
Last updated Oct 3, 2016
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