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Fear of Friday the 13th

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Fear of Friday the 13th – Paraskevidekatriaphobia

Do you feel impending doom when you realize there is a Friday the 13th upcoming in the month?

Do you have problems breathing or refuse to leave your home on Friday the 13th? If so, you may be one of the 8 percent of individuals in the United States that suffer from paraskavedekatriaphobia or the fear of Friday the 13th.

It can be very difficult—especially if you have a life to live—to want the world to stop until this day is over.

A solution is practically impossible as there will always be a Friday the 13th, just not every month.

In order to combat this fear, you must first learn why you fear this day. Where does the fear originate, and what can be done to calm the fear and alleviate the symptoms?

What Is the Fear of Friday the 13th?

The fear of Friday the 13th is a phobia that not only causes psychological issues, but can involve physical symptoms as well. An individual suffering from this phobia often has problems with daily activities including work if the tasks need to be performed on a Friday the 13th.

Some may wonder what the fear of Friday the 13th is called. It could involve one of three names: paraskevidekatriaphobia, triskaidekaphobia, or friggatriskaidekaphobia.

Paraskevidekatriaphobia is an extension of the fear of the number 13, which is called triskaidekaphobia. Others may refer to the fear of Friday the 13th as friggatriskaidekaphobia due to Friday originating from the Norse god Frigg, who is the goddess of Friday.

What Started the Fear of Friday the 13th?

History and superstition began the fear of Friday the 13th as far back as biblical times. The main Christian theory is that thirteen people attended the Last Supper which included Jesus and his twelve apostles. Judas is considered the thirteenth person at the table. The next day, which was a Friday, was the day that Jesus was crucified.

In modern times, other events occurred on this day which created fear of this day including September 1940, the bombing of Buckingham Palace by Germany; March 1964 when Kitty Genovese was murdered in Queens, New York; and January 2012, when the Costa Concordia cruise ship crashed killing thirty people off the coast of Italy.

The history of capital punishment in Great Britain puts another twist on the fear. There were thirteen steps to the gallows and hangings were normally held on Friday which was known as “the day of the hangman” or “the noose.”

What Causes Paraskevidekatriaphobia?

Even though there were past traumatic events that occurred on Friday the 13th, the phenomenon was not truly seen in many individuals until 1980 when the movie Friday the 13th hit the big screen.

As far as what causes paraskevidekatriaphobia, there is no scientific data that can pinpoint why one person will have the phobia while others do not. The main cause is held in superstitions surrounding the number 13 and bad events that occurred on that particular day throughout history

Symptoms of Paraskevidekatriaphobia

Physical symptoms of paraskevidekatriaphobia include:

  • Irregular or rapid heartbeat
  • Sweating
  • Trembling
  • Faintness
  • Shallow breathing
  • Shaking
  • Chest pains
  • Urge to scream
  • Urge to hide
  • Panic attacks
  • Muscle tension
  • Compulsive behavior such as counting to thirteen before leaving the room
  • Avoidance of anything to do with Friday the 13th such as staying in bed

Psychological symptoms of the fear of Friday the 13th:

  • Crushing feelings of fear or panic
  • Unmanageable obsessive thoughts
  • Hurtful, invasive memories
  • Recurring nightmares
  • Anxiety with the thought of Friday of the 13th
  • Inability to cope with the anxiety

Treatments for Paraskevidekatriaphobia

Self-help: What can I do to help myself with paraskevidekatriaphobia?

The main source of help is educating oneself on when the fear began. Understanding that Friday the 13th is no more unlucky than Monday the 13th or even Saturday the 16th can be a huge improvement in how one handles the stress.

By learning about your fear, how the fear began in superstition, and throughout history, and then understanding how it affects you will aid in controlling the anxiety as Friday the 13th approaches.

Professional help options

Treatment for the fear of Friday the 13th is like the treatment for most phobias which usually involves therapy and in some cases medication.

Therapy for paraskevidekatriaphobia is usually behavioral therapy which involves desensitizing. The individual will confront the fear through gradual, controlled methods until all anxiety has disappeared. This type of therapy can be difficult as Friday the 13th normally only appears two or three times per year.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is another method of talk therapy in which a mental health professional teaches the individual new ways to deal with their fear as well as understand the fear. This type of therapy will help an individual have more control over their feelings and thoughts after they have discovered how fear has impacted their lives.

Medications Used for Paraskevidekatriaphobia – Fear of Friday the 13th

Beta blockers: These medications aid with physical symptoms such as fast heartbeat, shaking, and sweating, by blocking the effects of adrenaline in an individual’s body.

SSRIs and antidepressants: These medications are often used for persistent phobias and include such medicines as Celexa, Lexapro, Zoloft, Paxil, and Prozac. These medicines often have side effects including diarrhea and insomnia among others.

Sedatives: For individuals that suffer from severe panic attacks associated with Friday the 13th, the physician may prescribe sedatives such as Librium, Niravam, Xanax, Ativan, or Valium. Sedatives are given on a short term basis as they are known to be addictive.

Simple Tips to Avoiding Phobia Flares on Friday the 13th

Avoiding Friday the 13th can be a very difficult thing to do. However, little things such as planning fun things to do on that day which keep you involved with others may aid in forgetting the date. Staying busy with a hobby or family and friends are great distractions.

The idea to avoid the day is impossible, but creating distractions and not looking at the calendar may be a great start.

Any fear or phobia can be combated. The best way to learn what will work for you is to check out the various therapies by contacting a mental health professional. There is no reason that you have to hide on this day, you can learn to cope with the fear.

Seeking professional help, self-help, or even working with family and friends to keep you busy could be the answer. The first step is to accept you have a problem and educate yourself on the best ways to live happily without this fear.

FearAZ.com is looking for personal stories of any 'fear of' or phobia. If you have an interesting story you'd like to share, we welcome your submission. If the story fits with our content and guidelines, we'll add it to our site.
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Your Fear Goes Up and Down

Are you someone who would rather climb the stairs than take the elevator? You call it squeezing in a workout after being sedentary the whole morning. Or perhaps you claim it's a faster route. These are both typical, normal, and acceptable reasons. But what if you need to be in the conference room on the eleventh floor in five minutes, and you're wearing your business suit and wingtips? Would you still prefer to take the stairs? If your answer is yes, then maybe it's time to take a closer look at your reasons for avoiding elevators. Elevators stir all sorts of emotions in passengers. From the discomfort of closeness to strangers to the sensations in our gut, elevators can be a source of the heebie-jeebies for many, but for some, they can also be a source of terror. Let's dig a little deeper into the latter, and see what this terror is all about and what can be done to manage it. To begin with, does being inside an elevator give you chills or the sweats? Or does it trigger an unpleasant memory? Perhaps you remember movies you've watched where something terrible happens inside an elevator. From Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, Final Destination 2, or the king of all elevator horror films, 2010’s Devil, the elevator becomes witness to something sinister and horrible. And you want nothing to do with any of it. You know that you're not claustrophobic. You can deal with heights just fine, too. And you know that you're not going to be trapped inside. All of these contribute to a fear of elevators—but they don't apply to you. Yet being inside one does something to you. It's hard to explain.

What is the Fear of Elevators Called?

What you have is a fear of elevators, which is called elevatophobia. It is most commonly triggered by an experience of getting stuck inside either due to a power outage or technical maintenance. Hearing about other people's experiences or watching a movie about similar circumstances can prompt a fear of elevators getting stuck with you inside. Usually, claustrophobics and agoraphobics may also develop elevatophobia because the triggers and objects of these fears are related. Claustrophobia is the fear of closed and cramped spaces, while agoraphobia is the fear of being trapped without any means of escape. Put the two together, and the elevator becomes the perfect combination of both phobias. The space is limited and closed, with only one means of entry and exit. You can add another point of access if you consider climbing the cables like they do in the movies, but that certainly isn't ideal.

Symptoms of Elevatophobia

If for some reason an elevator stops due to an outage or some technical difficulty, passengers with elevatophobia may go into full panic mode. Even if the maintenance team advises that it will just be a matter of minutes, by then, the person's mind has become irrational with the fear of the elevator falling, being stuck for hours, or other unpleasant thoughts. You would expect a person to exhibit the following physical symptoms: Additionally, you would be filled with that overwhelming anxiety where you feel that you have zero control over the situation. You start fearing the unknown and are filled with negative thoughts about death and imminent doom. You become irrational and unresponsive.

Possible Complications of Elevatophobia

When the panic sets in, the possibility of emergencies related to pre-existing conditions may make themselves known. This might include serious health crises like heart attacks or asthma attacks. When this happens, fear becomes a medical emergency. Elevator rides do not last long; it's just a matter of minutes or even less. But the fact that a person can escalate from panic to a near fatal medical situation classifies the fear of elevators as a 'hard phobia.'

Trying Some Self-Help Methods

Your fear of elevators can likely interfere with your social and work life and relationships. Not everyone understands that elevatophobia, like most phobias, can be crippling. But don't be disheartened. Depending on the level of your fear and level of control, you can gradually face and manage your phobia. Here are some recommendations you can try:
  1. Make a List of Everything that Entails Riding in an Elevator This is a systematic approach to getting over your anxiety. By following a step-by-step process, you can identify where the fear kicks in at its strongest. You can write a list of steps like pressing the topmost button and waiting to arrive on that floor, watching as the door closes and opens, being alone inside the elevator, or having delays with the doors opening. Now try doing the opposite. For example, face away from the door or occupy yourself with your phone so that you are distracted.
  2. Create Your Fear Ladder Although the name says fear of elevators, it is not the whole process that scares you. There are just phases and parts of the elevator riding experience that cause you to panic. So go back to the list you initially created and label the fear level you feel. You can do it numerically, too, like ten being 'really scary,' six, 'manageable scary,' and one, 'not scary at all.' You can put the corresponding fear levels so you can focus more time and effort into activities that are more scary to you.
  3. Face Your Fear By now, you have identified what scares you the most. You can try repetitive action to minimize your fear and increase your sense of ‘normalcy’. Remember that the longer you expose yourself to your fear, the better you get at handling your emotions. If you are feeling overwhelmed, stop. Pushing yourself too fast and too soon can backfire. Modify your pace and go slower instead.
  4. Talk About Your Fear People by nature, unfortunately, are not quick to offer understanding and support. You need to tell them what's wrong before they can empathize. Talk to someone who you trust and ask for their support, especially in the initial phase of overcoming your fear. If you are too afraid to ride the elevator alone, you can ask them to go with you, and before you realize it, you are on your floor, and there was no indication of panic.
  5. Learn To Be Patient Be patient with yourself and your predicament. This is, after all, your fight against fear. It might take hundreds of elevator ride practices before the fear gets under control. Even then, there might be some hesitations and episodes of nervousness. These are acceptable and expected, so cut yourself some slack and congratulate yourself for every progress.

Seeking Professional Help

Along with self-help, you can always enlist a medical professional's aid to support you with your elevatophobia. Talking to someone who has experience with similar cases can be comforting, because you know that you are not alone, and this situation can get better. Talk to your doctor about the severity of your fears and the symptoms that you experience. Explain how you deal with it in an attempt to control it. An exam and a health history are made to ensure that there are no unrelated or underlying problems that your symptoms might mask. Usually, phobias like this are approached with a combination of psychotherapy and medication. Your doctor will talk about these options with you, and it's entirely up to you, with your doctor's recommendation, what you want to pursue. For psychotherapy, the most common type is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which aims to help you find different ways of behaving, thinking, and reacting when about to step inside an elevator or when already inside it. With medications, there are beta blockers and benzodiazepines, but note that these can have side effects. Whatever these side effects are, you should promptly share it with your doctor.

Simple Tips to Overcome Elevatophobia

Elevators are not perfect, but their likelihood to malfunction, fall, or get stuck is very low. If you are not fully confident with this information, you can help overcome your elevatophobia by learning common elevator safety tips and basic elevator operations. These should help curb your mild fear until you become more self-assured. In addition to that, here are some of the things that you can do to gradually overcome your fear of elevators—both in getting on and riding one.

Conclusion

Yes, elevatophobia can be a challenge in today's world, but don't allow the elevator to win. Don't let it stop you from taking a job on the top floor or attending a social gathering on the rooftop. Sure, you can take the stairs if you insist and arrive winded and sweaty, with the party about to wrap up. But is this the quality of life you seek? Elevators are designed to make life easier. There are guaranteed ways to help you overcome elevatophobia. Take the first step and seek help. Soon, you’ll see yourself breezing through the floors with those arduous stair climbs little more than a memory.
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