| thanatomania | <psychiatry> Illness or death resulting from belief in the efficacy of magic; a phenomenon observed among those primitive societies or illiterate and superstitious people who believe in the power of evil spirits, spells, curses, and individuals over one's bodily processes, with such belief and resulting fear manifesting itself as psychosomatic illness and even death. Origin: thanato-+ G. Mania, frenzy (05 Mar 2000) |
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