978-1-4222-3377-1

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Some phobias are linked to childhood events. A good example is cynophobia , which means intense fear of dogs. Many people with cynophobia had a very bad encounter with a dog when they were young. That frightening moment causes them to intensely fear all dogs. Other times, there is no clear reason why people have particular phobias. They just do. Social Anxiety Social anxiety is the intense fear of what doctors call a “performance situation.” A performance situation could be as important as a big game or test. It could also be as minor as saying hello to a stranger.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

A person with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) feels he or she must complete certain actions or something terrible will happen. Common obsessions and compulsions include hand washing, counting things or putting them in a certain order, checking to make sure something has been done, or

repeating specific words or phrases over and over. Because having OCD usually involves feeling anxious a lot, OCD used to be called an anxiety disorder. However, doctors now believe that OCD is a separate condition. For a longer talk about OCD, please refer to another book in this set, Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder.