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Afraid of the Dark

I am 14 and I am mortified of the dark. I mean I wasn't until about a year ago. I need the T.V, on when I sleep or I cant go to bed also if I leave the TV on I get in trouble so im kinda stuck. I did go for about three months a year ago without being afraid but now i am absolutely mortified. Ive probably have been scared of the dark since I was 9 and it is is bad some help.
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136956 tn?1688675680
You could have some sort of anxiety. Understanding what you are exactly afraid of would help. I am 34 and trust me I still have anxiety of the dark, and so does my 8 yr old daughter.
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757137 tn?1347196453
The immediate help is a night light. If that makes you comfortable then you can think of why you are afraid of the dark. By the way, being afraid of the dark is not uncommon and it doesn't mean you have a loose screw. It is something most people tend to outgrow.
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136956 tn?1688675680
What are you afraid of? Are you afraid someone is going to break in? fire?
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757137 tn?1347196453
Get yourself a small night light.
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Avatar universal
Hi there.  Have you discussed with your parents exactly how afraid you are of the dark?  This is more common than you think...even in adults.  I would let your parents know how afraid you are and that the TV allows you to fall asleep, but when they make you turn it off, you lie awake scared and get less sleep.  I can tell you there's nothing to fear and you have seen that nothing has happened, but this is a real fear for you and your parents need to know just how bad it is. You may outgrow this, or your parents could get you into therapy to help you deal with the fear of darkness. I think therapy would be a big help.  If need be, tell your parents what you have told us in a letter, this will show them how much this fear is affecting you.  Let them know that having the TV on is more about comforting you than you watching it.  Talk to them so you can get some help with this.  Hang in there, it's going to be okay.
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Avatar universal
Good or evening or day or night or afternoon Torin and hello. Great name, by the way. My name is Hamed Khatiz and I am a student, drummer, writer, band manager and many more from Sydney, NSW. My main objective is to give you some insight into your chronic phobia of the dark. The fear of the dark is a very valid phobia to begin with and could branch into many other more specific phobias, such as nyctophobia, the fear of the darkness and the main one I wish to talk to you about now.

Nyctophobia is any fear of darkness and it does not have to be chronic. It is usually caused by a magnification of the brain's natural perception of what could happen in a dark environment.

If you have a phobia of the dark, you are likely to become nervous in any darkened environment. You may sleep with a nightlight. You might be reluctant to go out at night. You will likely experience an increased heart rate, sweat, shake and even feel ill when forced to spend time in the dark.

If your nyctophobia is severe, you may attempt to run away from dark rooms and avoid being outside at night. You might become angry or defensive if anyone tries to encourage you to spend time in the dark.

In Halloween Horror Nights, the photographer is physically restrained and forced to confront the images in his camera’s flash. This is an extreme interpretation of an actual phobia treatment technique known as flooding. However, a mental health professional would never restrain the client and force him or her to participate. The client remains in control during real-life flooding sessions.

Treatment for nyctophobia is often drawn from the cognitive-behavioral school of therapy. Anti-anxiety medications may also be prescribed. The goal of therapy is to challenge your fearful beliefs about the dark and help you to replace negative self-talk with more positive messages.

There you go. Nyctophobia is a common disease and may lead to other chronic phobias such as the fear of the outside world (agoraphobia) and severe panic attacks and arrythmias.

If you are new to MedHelp, you may not know about the notion of Best Answers. Best Answers are a way for MedHelp members to recognise people to who inspire and people who know how to give amazing advice in this medical community kind of environment. I have recieved many emails from friends asking about the feature and what it does, so that is really good. But only pick it if you really like their advice, not because it is the first one you see.

Also, just as an aside, nyctophobia could be a cause of Seperation Anxiety Disorder, so have a dive into that one.

Best wishes and don't worry to much, your go to guy, Hamed Khatiz, Sydney NSW Australia.

Love...
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