Apeirophobia
| Apeirophobia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Apeirophobia can arise from the fear of an eternal afterlife, such as Heaven in Christianity.[1] | |
| Specialty | Psychology |
| Symptoms | Fear of infinity, fear of dying, panic attacks related to the event, or dreams relating to infinity, derealization, symptoms of existential OCD |
Apeirophobia (from Ancient Greek: ᾰ̓́πειρος, romanized: ápeiros, lit. 'infinite, boundless') is the phobia of infinity or eternity, causing discomfort and sometimes panic attacks.[2] It normally starts in adolescence or earlier and it is currently not known how it normally develops over time. Apeirophobia may be caused by existential dread about eternal life or oblivion following death. Due to this, it is often connected with thanatophobia (the phobia of death).[1][3] Like other phobias, apeirophobia may be tied to mental health conditions such as anxiety disorders or obsessive-compulsive disorder.[3] Martin Wiener, a neuroscience professor at George Mason University, hypothesized that apeirophobia is a manifestation of the fear of an unknown future, similarly to the fear of aging.[4]
There is very little research on this phobia. Despite not being recognized specifically by the American Psychiatric Association in the DSM-5, it does meet their criteria for a specific phobia, which is a type of anxiety disorder.[1] There are no known treatment methods that are specifically designed to treat apeirophobia,[5] although some apeirophobics have benefited from anti-anxiety medications or cognitive behavioral therapy.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Azarian, Bobby (2016-09-01). "Apeirophobia: The Fear of Eternity". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
- ^ "Understand Apeirophobia: Fear of infinity". Exploring your mind. 2018-12-21. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
- ^ a b "Apeirophobia – The Fear of Infinity". Practical Psychology. 2020-05-28. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
- ^ a b The Crippling Fear of Everlasting Life. The Atlantic. 2017-02-08. Retrieved 2025-02-05 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Apeirophobia (Fear of Infinity)". Psych Times. Retrieved 2023-12-07.