What is necrophilia?

Necrophilia has another name “thanatophilia”. It means sexual excitement stimulated by a dead body. That sexual arousal can be in many forms such as in the form of dreams or fantasies or in the form of real bodily sexual contact with the dead body. Necrophilia is an unusual paraphilia.

Causes of necrophilia:

Some of the potential causes of necrophilia are

Desire to have sex with the dead

An extreme apprehension of having interaction with possible existing partners may be one of the causes of having a desire of sex with a dead.


Necrophiliacs are may be frightened or threatened by living beings. For them, corpses are may be psychologically and physically non-threatening as dead has no power to affect them either emotionally or physically.

Complete control over them

They find corpses as completely in their control. The cause of some necrophiliacs attraction towards corpses is may be due to the reason that corpses cannot refuse, oppose, control or mistreat them.

Symptom of romantic obsession

Some people are too much attached to their loved ones that they deny the death of their loved ones and show their affection by using sexual acts in order to sustain a desire of having a relationship with the dead. By involving in sexual activities with the departed may also be the symptom of passionate obsession.

Is Necrophilia curable?

Necrophilia is still considered as a crime because dead bodies are religiously sacred and usually treatment is sought when problem becomes severe and they consider constrained to share and explain their situation. Psychotharapy along with medication may be useful for the person because the problem is linked with shame and remorse.

Other treatments may be considered like

  • Cognitive therapy
  • Hypnosis
  • Drug therapy
  • Psychoanalysis
  • Behavior therapy

Group therapy can also be sought as necrophilia is also a kind of addiction. So as drug addicts are treated with the help of group therapy, in the same way addicts for sex can also get training about social skills and can be given sex education.

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