Introduction

Paruresis – often known as ’shy bladder’ or ‘bashful bladder’ – is a social anxiety disorder that can affect both men and women. The sufferer is unable to urinate in the presence of others – for example in a public toilet such as at work or in restaurants, or in toilets in other people’s houses. A person with this disorder is known as a paruretic.

Although lots of people experience ’stage fright’ where they have difficulty urinating in undesirable or uncomfortable situations, this is different to paruresis. Paruresis is far more serious and may cause physical problems. Although the problem is a psychological problem, the physical effects of it are unable to be controlled by the sufferer.  Read more... (688 words, estimated 2:45 mins reading time)

Micturition is the medical name for the process of voiding the bladder. The bladder is voided by a contraction of the detrusor, the muscle which surrounds it, coupled with the relaxation of the two sphincters of the urethra.

A simple explanation is that we can imaging that it is based on a reflex between strain sensors in the wall of the bladder and flow sensors in the urethra and the detrusor. The strain of having a full bladder triggers it to contract. The flow sensors detect when there is a flow of urine and feeds back to the bladder sensors to ensure the bladder stays contracted whilst there is urine still flowing. For adults, this reflex is a conscious reflex which is controlled by the brain. However, the co-ordination of the micturition and continence are subconsciously controlled and are integrated into other bodily processes.  Read more... (279 words, estimated 1:07 mins reading time)

The triggers for paruresis will be unique to each person. Although it may seem it has appeared out of nowhere, there is usually an underlying cause. For most, it will be triggered by one or more negative events associated with urination. Common events are being interrupted whilst urinating or being in an unpleasant environment. One event may not trigger then syndrome off – there may be a close succession of events which lead to the syndrome.  Read more... (274 words, estimated 1:06 mins reading time)

The main elements in the process or urination are the sphincters, the bladder and the urethra. The bladder is enclosed in a muscle called the detrusor which is divided into two parts – the dome around the bladder and an area around the bladder neck (the internal sphincter). This is normally subconsciously controlled. Lower down, an external sphincter surrounds the urethra. This sphincter is normally consciously controlled.

As your bladder fills, the dome around the bladder relaxes and both of the sphincters contract. As you urinate, both the sphincters relax and the dome around the bladder contracts so that the urine is forced out with minimal resistance.  Read more... (337 words, estimated 1:21 mins reading time)