What Scares You Most?

Are
writers compelled to write about the things that scare them most? 

This is thequestion I ask when I find myself researching topics like "Traumatic BrainInjury in Young People" in order to write a story. Why, as the mother of twoyoung children, would I choose to tackle such a subject? Rationally, I knowthat it would probably be more comfortable to not choose these kinds of topics.After all, I avoid TV shows that have been known to show bad things happeningto young kids and I close my eyes...