According to horror fiction aficionados, novelist Stephen King has at least one character in every novel who pees in his or her pants.

Being frightened can do that to you if the brain’s limbic system (where the fight-or-flight impulse lives) overrides the command center in your frontal cortex that says, “Hey, let's wait and urinate later, like when there's a bathroom around.” And then you've wet yourself.

But it's not just scary situations that cause bladder leaks. An estimated 25 to 30 percent of men and women (far more women) deal with urinary incontinence. About 33 million have overactive bladder, others have stress incontinence (the kind that's triggered by laughing, picking up something, or sneezing) or a combination of both.

It can happen because of age, menopause, a sedentary lifestyle, pregnancy, or childbirth. Smoking increases the risk, as do diabetes, obesity, and prostate problems.

Although there are some medical (Botox), surgical (artificial sphincter), and device-based (catheters) treatments for bladder leaks, sometimes your best bets are pelvic-muscle-strengthening exercises called Kegels and cognitive behavioral therapy that helps your mind and body take control of your responses.

One recent study found that a two-hour group bladder control class created improvements in urination frequency and severity of the problem.

Down the road is a new device (only tested in the lab so far) called a miniaturized bio-optoelectronic implant, which uses a light-emitting device to short circuit the uncooperative bladder and allow controlled filling and emptying.