Paraskevidekatriaphobia (paraskavedekatriaphobia, also known as friggatriskaidekaphobia) is the fear of Friday the 13th. The fear is often triggered after learning that Friday the 13th is (mythically) the day of bad luck as well as terrible personal events that took place on Friday the 13th. For example if a family member or the one the sufferer knows died on Friday the 13th, the person would be afraid that the next Friday the 13th could be the day for them to die - through homicide, accidental or otherwise. Another probable trigger is from watching Friday the 13th films, where Jason Voorhees, wearing the hockey mask, often sneaks up and kill people with a variety of moves. As a result to this, sufferers would be afraid that he/she could get unknowingly killed by a masked man on Friday the 13th. Many Sufferers would try to stay in bed and sleep all day on Friday the 13th, while more severe sufferers would ride out in a remote place alone and away from society.
Symptoms develop readily when it's Friday the 13th, including dread, sweating, fear of dying (thanatophobia), feeling separated from reality, and heart palpitations. The phobia is treated using for example telling them that Friday the 13th is statistically not an unlucky day, including that it is not necessarily more likely to die on Friday the 13th than any other day.
See also[]
- Triskaidekaphobia – fear of the number 13