Blog: General Mental Health

Studies show that nearly 21 million Americans suffer from the social anxiety disorder known as paruresis (par-you-re-sis) or shy bladder syndrome. Paruresis is a phobia in which a person is unable to urinate in the real or imaginary presence of others. To support those with this life-limiting condition, the IPA is excited to announce that its Board of Directors has authorized up to $10,000 in research funding.

Ever since I was six years old and was walked in on while on the potty by a neighbor boy, who announced with exuberant laughter “I hear you peeing!”, I have had bathroom issues. These issues snowballed over the years into a full-blown case of primary and secondary paruresis. When I was in a bathroom out of my comfort zone I would often feel like I was sitting on a time bomb that could go off at any moment. I had better be ready to run if someone knocks on that bathroom door or starts jiggling the handle.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), which has become the most widely accepted treatment for Paruresis, uses a model of graduated exposure (GE) based upon public in-person practice with a “pee buddy” from a local support group or an empathetic friend or family member, a model which has shown itself to be highly effective. In March of 2020, however, that model became difficult if not impossible to use as social venues closed down and personal contact outside of immediate family became severely limited, and the idea of virtual GE practice, following the same general procedure but done over video chat from a home bathroom, came to be used as an alternative.