DR. WALLACE: I'm a 16 -year-old girl and I have something to confess to you that I don't really talk about to my friends or family. It's this one fear that I have, and I truly don't understand its origin.

For some reason, I'm desperately afraid of clowns! Anytime I see a photograph of one, or the word even printed in a book, text or email, a shiver goes up my spine! And the few times I've actually seen one in person, like the time I saw one at some neighbor kid's birthday party, my blood actually ran cold, and I had to get away from there right away!

I don't know why this is, and I'm so embarrassed about it that I've never discussed it with anyone in person. Do you have even a general idea of where this could be coming from? Have you ever heard of this before? — Don't Find Them Funny at All, via email

DON'T FIND THEM FUNNY AT ALL: I have actually heard of this before, although admittedly only in a handful of letters over several decades — but ironically, most of them have come within the past year or two. It could be that as a younger child you saw a scary movie in which a clown played an evil character and somehow it stuck in your subconscious.

It could also be the exaggerated makeup, hair or colors that set you off. It's not unusual for small children under 5 to fear clowns when they encounter them in person. And once a young child has had this type of experience, even if it is not consciously remembered, there can still be a residual detrimental effect on the subconscious.

There is actually a named phobia for this fear. It's called coulrophobia and it can for some people trigger feelings of fear when a clown or clown images are seen. This is a specific phobic disorder that at times can cause a racing heart, nausea and even profuse sweating. Most people can usually avoid clowns in their day-to-day lives. However, others may benefit from exposure therapy, which is a type of psychotherapy, as this can help them to manage their reactions to both actual clowns and clown images.

TEENS DON'T ALWAYS GET THE PRAISE THEY DESERVE

DR. WALLACE: Why is it that teenagers get blamed for so many things? It seems like I often read on social media or even hear on television something about how irresponsible or problematic today's teenagers are.

Is this true? Are we all causing problems for society, or is there anything at all that we collectively do mostly right? — Tired of Hearing Teens Being Put Down, via email

TIRED OF HEARING TEENS BEING PUT DOWN: Well, you came to the right place! Teenagers are among my favorite people, especially due to their enthusiasm for life and hunger for learning, developing and improving themselves and the world around them.

Teenagers have their challenges just as all age groups do, but they absolutely have their strong points as well. Did you know, for example, that teenagers do a higher proportion of volunteer work when compared to any other age range? Teens also receive very high marks for recycling all types of products, and they regularly take proactive steps to protect the Earth.

Another great quality of today's teens is responsibility on the roadways. Never have teens done a better job of managing their transportation needs safely as compared to previous generations. In general, they've taken full advantage of utilizing Uber and Lyft, plus various forms of public transportation. In fact, the great majority of teens and young adults up to the age of 25 have never once driven a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol — or any other substance, for that matter.

Even young teens utilize the ride-hailing app "family plans" so that they can be driven around with the advance permission of their parents. These mutual "opt in" plans allow teens to ride safely and simultaneously be tracked by their parents during their journey. Progress is wonderful in many ways, and I'm happy to see just how responsible overall today's teenagers generally are.

How's that for building today's teens up as an alternative to the other less flattering comments you've heard in the past?

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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