A Prisoner Speaks
A Prisoner Speaks . . .
Thank you so much for responding back to my letter! I have to be honest with you, when I received the package and seen who it was from it almost brought me to tears. I’m almost in tears now just thinking about it. I have felt so alone and hopeless dealing with my condition since I thought I was all alone. Finally someone knows how I feel and knows the type of issues I face on a daily basis. I have met so many people who have become road blocks on my journey of trying to get help. Until I received your letter I was without hope and the reality of having to spend the next 7 years in prison and miss my parole eligibility date in September of 2023 because of something that I can not control. Thanks to IPA, all my hope has been restored and I have a sense of strength to fight to have my condition recognized in the prison system. I have put in a request to see the mental health staff again, but this time I’m going to take your packet with me to help them begin to understand my condition and to see that there are people who suffer from a condition that doesn’t allow us to urinate in front of others. I will also explain that I am not looking for special treatment but rather just a diagnosis to take to the administration here so they document it in my medical jacket so that I will be offered a alternative to a urine sample or given a choice of using a catheter to provide a urine sample. If that doesn’t work then I will try to attempt another shot at the warden here…
I would love for you to share my story with reporters. Actually I would be honored for you to do so. If I can get my story out there to other sufferers in my situation to help them then I’m all for it. I know I’m not the only one who is in a place like this experiencing what I’m going through. One of my objectives is to ensure that no inmate in [state] or around the world for that matter has to suffer or be punished for a mental condition that they have no control over. So please, share my story and info with anyone you see fit to help me bring awareness to institutions and also the world. I am forever grateful for IPA reaching out to me and helping restore hope back in my life when I felt I had lost it all. Hopefully, before long I will be at work release with a job to help my family out during my final years of my sentence. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
- Prisoner letter received by IPA, August, 2020.
QUICK LINKS
INTERNATIONAL PARURESIS ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 21237
Catonsville, MD 21228
You Are Not Alone.
There Is Help For You!
Shy Bladder, Bashful Bladder, Pee Shy
IPA OFFICE HOURS
Monday - Friday
10:00am - 6:00pm (ET)
844-I-CANT-PEE (422-6873)
US/Canada
443-315-5250 Office
Email: getinfo@paruresis.org
This website is NOT a substitute for medical or legal advice and does not constitute the practice of law, medicine, psychiatry, clinical psychology, clinical social work, or any other mental health profession. If you are having trouble urinating, you should always contact a physician since difficulty with voiding can be a symptom of a serious medical condition. We are a group of professional people and people who have suffered with paruresis. We have assembled a board and a board of advisors to help people cope with urinary dysfunction that has a psychological or social origin. On this website, we are NOT practicing medicine, psychiatry, clinical psychology, clinical social work or any other mental health profession. You should have your doctor evaluate your condition before diagnosing yourself, and seek the appropriate necessary mental health counseling if warranted. IPA, Inc. disclaims any and all legal liability whatsoever.