Trying To Overcome Shy Bladder? Here's Help

Most people with shy bladder are men, typically because the restrooms for men are wide open spaces. Anxiety severely impairs the ability to use these facilities, and a life can truly be turned upside down. Don't suffer alone, and don't let it go untreated. There is help.

How Medical Science Defines Shy Bladder

Health care professionals refer to shy bladder as paruresis, and they categorize it as a social phobia. This is due to the fact that people who suffer with it tend to know it's not "rational". Although rooted in psychology, it is a physical condition in which a person simply can't urinate anywhere outside of their own or another familiar and trusted restroom.

How It Typically Develops

Most experts who treat people trying to overcome shy bladder conclude that the origins of the condition are rooted in negative experiences, most often occurring younger in life, like the teenage years. At some point, a person was harassed, teased and otherwise traumatized about relieving themselves in public or school restrooms.

The First Steps To Overcome Shy Bladder

As with many phobias, the first step in healing involves admitting the existence of the problem to a professional. This can be very difficult due to the personal nature of the situation. Most of us don't discuss going to the bathroom with others anyway, but doing so when you're afraid or incapable of it is even more challenging. Doctors and therapists encourage patients to talk about the problem, what might have caused it and then arrange for gradual reductions in privacy during urination. For example, a patient might use a bathroom adjacent to the therapists office completely by themselves, then little by little the therapist gets closer. Eventually, this procedure is moved into the "real" world and a person suffering with paruresis learns to go where it is most convenient.

Treatment For Severe Cases

Extensive therapy may be needed in cases where shy bladder has developed due to severe or persistent trauma and extreme anxiety. Either way, a person needs help learning that it's okay to go, and nobody deserves to be in full panic mode simply because they need to relieve themselves. Anxiety medication may be introduced, and patients are encouraged to mimic the therapeutic procedures on their own, as a means of desensitizing to the known fear.

Complicating The Ability To Overcome Shy Bladder

Anxiety and fear can be debilitating, no matter how, when or where they strike. If a person with paruresis has a number of other phobias and social challenges, it may be best to get to the root of these fears with long-term targeted therapy. Other consequences, such as an inability to speak to strangers or venture into unfamiliar neighborhoods, can really impact quality the of life for these individuals. Help is needed and should be sought.

Talk to your doctor about your problem. You shouldn't be going through this alone and targeted therapies have proven successful. Your life can be significantly improved with help.