An aversion to a person, place, activity, event, or object that causes emotional distress and often avoidance behavior.

Fear is defined as emotional reaction related to a person, place, activity, event, or object. Symptoms of fear may include stiffening and crying in the newborn; crying and avoidance of the feared person or object in toddlers; bodily symptoms such as a stomachache or headache in children or adolescents (especially regarding school or separation anxieties); anger, avoidance, and denial of the fear in adolescents and teens; and panic reactions—sweating, trembling, fast heartbeat. While normal fears tend to be experienced in phases and tend to be outgrown by adulthood, abnormal fears are those that are persistent and recurrent, or fears that interfere with daily activities for at least a month. Abnormal fears, including extreme separation anxiety, school phobia (being afraid to go to school), or extreme social fears, may indicate...