For some, the Halloween season is long-awaited and whole-heartedly embraced; the pumpkin carving is well underway and wardrobes are in the process of being ransacked for witches’ hats and vampire fangs (let’s collectively pray that the fake blood from last year hasn’t dried up). Yet, for others, the countdown to Halloween instils more than just an autumnal chill.

As young children get ready to put on their plastic masks and terrorize the neighbours for sweets in the annual trick-or-treating fest, teenagers and young adults also prepare to ‘hit the streets’, except in a much more intoxicated state.

It seems that, for most students, Halloween is simply an excuse to dress up (as anything ranging from a sexy scientist to a ketchup bottle) and get wasted. At least, that’s the reality that many of us have hastened to believe due to media representations of a student ‘Halloween’… we can thank the ‘Halloween Party’ scene from ‘Mean Girls’ (2004) for that.

Whilst for some, the idea of dressing up and partying to certified ‘Halloween bops’ until the break of dawn sounds like the ideal way to spend a Tuesday night, for others this image conjures up incredible amounts of anxiety and dread.

I recently hosted a survey on the topic of ‘Anxiety around Halloween’ on my Instagram account (@all.aboutanxiety) and the results were interesting, albeit unsurprising.

Whilst for some, the idea of dressing up and partying to certified ‘Halloween bops’ (such as Micheal Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ or Brittney Spears’ ‘Toxic‘) until the break of dawn sounds like the ideal way to spend a Tuesday night, for others this image conjures up incredible amounts of anxiety and dread.

50% of people who took the survey admitted to feeling some level of anxiety about Halloween.

Out of my respondents (93% of whom were aged 15-25), 31.25% said that they have experienced some kind of fear or anxiety on/around the Halloween season, and 18.75% responded that they ‘sort of’ have, meaning that exactly 50% of people who took the survey admitted to feeling some level of anxiety around Halloween.

When asked what makes them ‘most anxious’ about the Halloween period, 35.71% of respondents said the ‘social side of it’, while 14.29% respectively said the ‘horror and gore’ and ‘the costumes/dressing up.’ A smaller percentage of 7.14% answered that an ‘associated fear/phobia’ made them most anxious about Halloween.

In terms of things they most associated with Halloween, the answers were equally split across three sections: ‘Parties, alcohol consumption and partying’, ‘Dressing-up, trick-or-treating or celebrating’ and, for the more idealistic respondents, ‘Autumn, Pumpkin Carving and Decorating.’

46.67% of respondents claimed to have felt pressure around Halloween to participate in certain activities such as dressing up, going to parties or socialising.

In response to a question about peer pressure around Halloween, only 13.33% said that they’d never experienced this, whilst 46.67% of respondents claimed to have felt pressure around Halloween to participate in certain activities such as dressing up, going to parties and socialising. The other 40% of respondents said that they have experienced pressure but that they don’t mind as much as they enjoy participating in such activities.

I do enjoy socialising with friends but it is stressful and there is pressure to go to big parties…

Response to the question ‘Do you enjoy Halloween?’

Finally, when asked to provide a brief comment on whether or not the respondents enjoy Halloween, there was a variety of different responses. Although the majority of respondents claimed that they either do or ‘kind of’ enjoy Halloween overall, many responses shed light on the potentially anxiety-inducing aspects of the spooky season.

Many of those who responded expressed very positive views on Halloween with one person stating “It’s my favourite holiday!” and others claiming “I love dressing up” and “It’s nice to dress up.” It seems that the main aspect of Halloween we look forward to is dressing up and the freedom of expression this ensues, besides when else is it socially acceptable to dress up a sexy door-mouse or a vodka bottle?

Other respondents expressed more mixed opinions on Halloween, with one individual saying “I enjoy dressing up and decorating but not so much the social side of Halloween” and another claiming “I do enjoy socialising with friends but it is stressful and there’s pressure to go to big parties.”

Similarly, another respondent commented, “I don’t care about Halloween, but I do feel that there’s more pressure to drink and go out.”

Evidently, the element of Halloween that generates the most anxiety, amongst those aged 15-25, is the overtly social nature of the celebrations. Although it’s completely acceptable to choose not to celebrate Halloween, or to stick to more autumnal festivities such as pumpkin carving or binge-watching ‘Gilmore Girls’, there’s no denying that there’s a societal ‘expectation’ to participate in more intense or social activities like going to parties or dressing up on and around October 31st.

The holiday favours ‘socialising with peers, as opposed to family’, thereby leading to some ‘complicated social dynamics amoung peers’.

Michelle. P. Maidenberg, PhD- ‘Halloween Is Breeding Anxiety for Kids and Teenagers Socially’ from the site: ‘Psychology Today’

This ‘expectation’ can cause an increase in anxiety within those who struggle in social situations or party environments. According to an article by Psychology Today, Halloween can act as a breeding pit for social anxiety among young people, as the holiday favours ‘socialising with peers, as opposed to family‘, thereby leading to some ‘complicated social dynamics among peers.’

The pressure to have a ‘sexy’ or ‘trendy’ costume and the fear of judgement if your outfit doesn’t fit into either of these categories could massively contribute to feelings of social anxiety around Halloween. Similarly, the excessive amounts of alcohol consumption, especially among students, and the ‘party culture’ surrounding Halloween can trigger those who struggle with social anxiety or alcohol addiction.

Other triggers on Halloween for those who struggle with anxiety, include the relationship between Halloween and a specific fear or phobia. For example, someone with arachnophobia (the fear of spiders) may find Halloween difficult due to the abundance of ‘creepy-crawly’ decorations. Perhaps someone else, with a fear of fire, finds the ritual of lighting pumpkins particularly triggering etc.

Emetaphobia, or the fear of sick, is estimated to affect up to 8% of the population and is an extremely valid reason to feel anxiety around Halloween.

One respondent to my survey expressed their own relevant phobia, commenting that “the fear of sick combined with the pressure of going out” makes them feel especially uncomfortable around Halloween as “people use it as an excuse to get wasted” leading to “a night of anxiety that someone will be sick.”

Emetophobia, or the fear of sick, ‘is estimated to affect up to 8% of the population’ according to the Oxford Health NHS site and is an extremely valid reason to feel anxiety around Halloween.

So, as Halloween approaches, cat ears are situated and jager bombs (inevitably) consumed in the masses, don’t forget about those who struggle with anxiety over this festive period. Though those who struggle with the social side of Halloween may simply force themselves to participate, reminding themselves ‘it’s just one night’, it’s important to respect people’s boundaries and to not put too much pressure on our peers. Dress however you’d like and drink within your limits!

Thank you to all those who participated in my Halloween survey!

If you feel that you’ve been triggered by something in this article or struggle with anxiety around Halloween, you can access helplines and other self-help resources through this link.