How to overcome the difficulty of urinating outside the home

Paruresis, which is the difficulty in urinating outside the home in public restrooms, for example, has a cure, and a treatment strategy can be a therapist or even a friend helping the patient to expose themselves to the problem and gradually trying to use public restrooms., until it adapts and is able to urinate, which can take a few weeks or several months.

The person with a shy bladder, as it is popularly known, doesn’t have a bladder malfunction, but a psychological problem, which must be treated because in addition to causing incontinence or urinary infections, it also interferes with day-to-day activities, such as at work or on trips, making it difficult for people who suffer from this condition to leave home because they are unable to urinate, unless they are alone.

How to know if it is paruresis

If the individual does not have any disease that leads to slow and difficult urination, such as urinary infection for example, but has difficulty urinating in bathrooms in bars, cafeterias, shopping malls or even at the home of friends or family, he may suffer from paruresis.

In addition, usually, the patient suffering from a shy bladder:

You can go to the bathroom at home when you are totally alone or family members are far from the bathroom; He drinks few fluids, so that he has little desire to go to the bathroom; Makes noise while urinating, such as flushing or turning on a tap; He goes to the bathroom when they know that nobody is going, for example, at work.

However, to find out if you suffer from a shy bladder, you need to go to the urologist to make the correct diagnosis and start treatment, if necessary.

How to treat paruresis

To treat the shy bladder you need help from a therapist, family member or friend to support the patient to be exposed to the difficulty of urinating, helping the patient to be calm when going to the bathroom, as trying to forget where he is, for example.

This treatment and therapy of gradual exposure, in most cases, is very slow, taking from a few weeks to several months, and it is essential to force the urge to urinate for 2 to 4 minutes, waiting for a few minutes, if not, and then try again until you succeed.

For this, it is important to have a great urge to urinate, and it is necessary to drink plenty of fluids, such as water or natural juices, for example.

In more severe cases, when the patient is unable to urinate even after therapy, he may need to be cuffed to avoid complications such as infections or incontinence, for example.

Causes of paruresis

Paruresis usually arises due to stress, the need to urinate quickly or in individuals who are sensitive to sounds and smells, developing shame at the noise caused by the act of urination or having difficulty smelling the urine.

In addition, this problem can also occur in individuals who have already been sexually abused, have social phobias or have suffered from bullying.