A young mother is terrorized by the recurring fear that her children have been run over by a car on their way home from school. She cannot block out this fear even though her children do not cross any streets and never had any accidents involving a car. Her irrational fear is best described as ______.

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The young mother's fear is described as recurring, meaning it is an obsession. Obsessions are unwanted and intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that cause significant distress and anxiety. Phobias are intense and irrational fears of specific objects or situations, but in this scenario, the fear is more generalized and not tied to a specific object or situation. Delusions involve false beliefs that are held despite evidence to the contrary, and acute stress disorder involves a set of symptoms that occur after exposure to a traumatic event, which is not applicable in this case.

A Young Mother Is Terrorized by the Recurring Fear That