From WBUR and Slate, the solidly reported and also somewhat opinionated take on health news for you and your family. This installment explores the deep, dark, intimate world of anxiety—one of the most common mental health conditions in the U.S.

First, we get personal, with a close-up look at one woman’s fear of flying and how she (sort of) overcame it; then an intriguing hormone-based hypothesis based on research by Harvard Medical School’s Mohammed Milad that might explain why so many more women suffer from fear and anxiety disorders than men; finally parental anxiety and how you can better manage your relentless worrying, featuring a new book on the topic by Sue Orsillo.

Your hosts are Carey Goldberg and Rachel Zimmerman, former newspaper reporters and co-producers of WBUR’s CommonHealth blog. Each episode of The Checkup features a different topic—previous topics included college mental health, sex problems, the Insanity workout, and vaccine issues.

The Checkup podcast is produced at WBUR by George Hicks.

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