Press Stories
2021
- Silently facing ‘an ungodly, unmanly thing’
Neil Steinberg – Chicago Sun-Times – April 2021
2020
- Shy Bladder Syndrome Is a Social Phobia That's More Common and Treatable Than People Realize
Dario Sabaghi - Discover Magazine - December 2020 - How to Practice Exposure Therapy
Arlin Cuncic & Steven Gans, M.D. - Very Well Mind - March 12, 2020 - Struggle to Pee at a Busy Urinal
Harry Ainsworth - The Tab - March 4, 2020 - For 35 Years I Couldn't Pee in a Urinal
Mens Health Forum - March 1, 2020 - Can’t do what you need to do in a public toilet? You’re not alone – and there’s help
Kenley Kuoch & Simon Robert Knowles - The Conversation - January 21, 2020
2019
- 8 Disorders You Didn’t Know You Had That Could Be Affecting Your Relationships
Wendy Stokes – The Frisky – November 7, 2019 - Men Won’t Let Go of Their Phones While Peeing
Angela Lashbrook – One Zero – November 6, 2019 - Too frightened to urinate in public? You’re not alone
Chris Stokel-Walker – The Telegraph UK – October 28, 2019 - Dr. Steven Soifer, Shy Bladder Syndrome (Paruresis) & Better Public Restrooms
Curt Carstensen – “People I Know Show” Podcast – October 11, 2019 - Clutch Campus Bathrooms When You Have a Shy Bladder
Brain Choquet – UMASS Amherst Wire – September 19, 2019 - Shy Bladder Syndrome Meet the Men…
Daniel Hall – The Sun UK – July 24, 2019 - How to Disclose a Disability to Your Employer (and Whether You Should)
Lizz Schumer – New York Times – July 10, 2019 - Let’s Make Sure Design of New Schools Meets All Students’ Needs
Allie Utley – The IOLA Register – June 11, 2019 - OMB to Review Hair Drug-Testing Proposal
Eric Miller – Transport Topic News – June 11, 2019 - Paruresis and Parcopresis: How GP’s Can Help
Amanda Lyons – RAGCP – May 7, 2019 - Latest thinking on paruresis and parcopresis: A new distinct diagnostic entity?
Australian Journal of General Practice – Vol. 48 No. 4 – April 4, 2019 - How I Confronted My Worst Childhood Memory
Sean Hotchkiss ~ Men’s Health ~ February 14, 2019 - The ugly — and, yes, slightly gross — truth of stadium bathrooms
Dave Fleming – ESPN The Magazine – February 1, 2019 - The Psychology Behind Bathroom Habits
Megan Ray Nichols – The Naked Scientists – January 14, 2019
2018
- Have a shy bladder? You might be suffering from an anxiety disorder!
The Times of India – December 4, 2018 - Public Bathrooms Are Terrible. What Will It Take To Fix Them?
Mark Hay – Outline.com – October 09, 2018 - Uh, How Can I Make Myself Pee?
Korin Miller – womenshealthmag.com – August 9, 2018 - How People Deal with Having Shy Bladder Syndrome
Mark Hay – Vice.com – May 31 2018 - The Social Phobia that Stops People Going to the Toilet
TME News – The Germany Eye – April 11, 2018 - Paruresis: this is the disorder that prevents you from urinating in public toilets
Diego Bermejo – Elmundo.com – February 18, 2018 - How to Deal with a Shy Bladder That Makes Peeing Way Too Hard
Korin Miller – SELF.com – February 8, 2018
2017
- The Scientific Reason Behind Why Some People Have a Shy Bladder
Morgan Cutolo ~ Reader’s Digest ~ December 7, 2017 - Why Some People are Unable to Urinate in Public Toilets ~ Interview with Dr. Soifer
Fanny Arlandis and Benoit Le Corre – LeMonde – November 19, 2017 - Shy Bladder-The Phobia Your Friend Is Hiding From You
Mark Cunning – crixeo.com – June 6, 2017 - Pee Dammit! Or You Don’t Get The Job!
Richard Cohen – abovethelaw.com – March 2, 2017
2016
- Do you have a shy bladder like Hoda?; Try running the tap!
Today Show on CBS – September 8, 2017 - Paruresis: The Phobia That Makes Peeing In Public Impossible
Stuart Marsh – coachnine.com.au – August 23, 2016 - Development and Validation of the Shy Bladder and Bowel Scale
Simon R. Knowles & Jason Skues – CBT Journal/Taylor & Francis – May 23, 2016 - Infrequently Asked Questions: What causes shy bladder syndrome?
Brandon Baker – Philly Voice – May 18, 2017 - Obama Transgender Bathroom Law-An Easy Way To Comply
Guest Writer – Value Walk – May 13, 2017
2015
- Peeing in a Public Restroom Is Pretty Much My Worst Nightmare
Mark Williams – Good Housekeeping – October 29, 2015 - An Elegy for Rob Lowe’s Direct TV Commercials
Adam Chandler – The Atlantic – April 9, 2015 - DirecTV Told to Pull Rob Lowe Ads After Comcast Complaint
Reuters – Fox Business – April 8, 2015 - DirecTV ends ad campaign with Rob Lowe
Stephen Battaglio – Los Angeles Time – April 7, 2015
2014
- Shy Bladder Group Smartly Raises Public Awareness with DirecTV Protest
Nancy Rump – Rant Lifestyle – November 4, 2014 - Have You a Shy Bladder?
Sean Moncrieff – News Talk (podcast) – April 24, 2014 - The Private Lives of Public Bathrooms
Julie Beck – The Atlantic – April 16, 2014
2013
- Shy Bladder Lawsuit
Weird News – Huffington Post – October 7, 2013 - Shy Bladder – Cartoon
Wes Molebash – September 30, 2013 - Afraid to Pee in Public
Chris Weller – Medicaldaily.com – September 25, 2013 - No Urine, No Job!
Richard B. Cohen, Fox Rothschild – September 13, 2013 - Shy Bladder Syndrome Leads to Lawsuit
Jeff Eckhoff – The Des Moines Register – April 26, 2013
2012
- The Grassroots Movement to Change the Nation’s Public Restroom Laws
U.S. News & World Report – Simon Owens – December 20, 2012 - Bladder Business
The Daily Helmsman – Erica Hartsfield – October 12, 2012 - The Medicine Cabinet-Ask the Harvard Experts
Chicago Tribune – Dr. Michael Craig Miller – September 12, 2012 - A Wee Issue
The Sydney Morning Herald:Good Weekend – Joel Meares – July 14, 2012 - Hypnosis Alleviates the Fear of Public Restrooms
Shaul Navon – Haaretz – June 10, 2012
2011
- Red Flags Raised Over Internet-Based Anxiety “Expert”
American Psychological Association/WGN-TV News – Mark Suppelsa and Marsha Bartel - MDOT Worker with ‘Shy Bladder’ Wins Battle
Lansing State Journal – John Schneider – July 26, 2011 - Too shy to go? Bathroom stage fright a real condition
The Body Odd on msnbc.com – Cari Nierenberg – July 6, 2011
2010
- Many Suffer From Shy Bladder Anxiety
Chicago Tribune – Robin Erb – July 7, 2010 - Many Suffer From Shy Bladder Anxiety
Detroit Free Press – Robin Erb – May 6, 2010 - Boeing Won’t Scrap Toilets for Seats on Ryanair Planes
News.com.au-AP -April 14, 2010 - Paying to Pee: Have the Airlines Gone to Far?
ABCNews.com-Scott Mayerowitz-April 13, 2010 - Potty Policy Has Air Travelers Holding It In
Aol.com-Tony Deconinck-April 9, 2010 - Paruresis, si Penakut Toilet Umum – Paruresis, The Timid Public Toilet
Detik Health-Vera Farah Bararah-March 25, 2010-Original in Indonesian - Whizzer a Loser in Court
New York Post-Bruce Golding-March 20, 2010 - Russians to Get Help With Bathroom “Stage Fright”
Aolnews.com-Buck Wolf-March 16, 2010 - Tales of a Bashful Bladder
Impact Magazine-Stephen Lovejoy-March 11, 2010
2009
- Business Life: Toilet etiquette, a minefield in the workplace
The Times- Sathnam Sanghera-June 1, 2009 - Brave, Stupid and Curious: Dangerous Psychology Experiments from the Past
Scientific American- Jesse Bering-January 13, 2009 - Bladdivan-Parody Commercial
Huffington Post-Saturday Night Live-September 27, 2009 - Bladdivan-Parody Commercial
Saturday Night Live-September 28, 2009 - NBC-Saturday Night Live-Bladdivan Sketch
Jason Sudeikis-September 9, 2009
2008
- Expanding Drug Test Is for Cheats, Shy Bladders
Bloomberg.com-Cindy Skrzycki-October 28, 2008 - Episode 69: Personal Space Invasions – Ethical Implications of one of Psychology’s Strangest Studies
The Psych Files-Pod Cast-September 1, 2008 - A Life-Inhibiting Problem
Manchester Evening News-Rachael Clegg-February 4, 2008
2007
- Manhattan Federal jury awards fired bladder-shy guy 225G
New York Daily News-Thomas Zambito-October 5, 2007 - Much more than a belly laugh
Herald Sun-Bettina Arndt-September 13, 2007 - Fight Your Fears – Be Free From Phobia
Hblmedia- Deepika Bharadwa-August 14, 2007 - Fired City Worker is Out of Leak
New York Post-Dareh Gregorian-July 25, 2007 - Bladder-shy guy loses job
New York Daily News-Jose Martinez-July 25, 2007 - Rapid result drug tests approved
Early County News June 13, 2007 - Lass es laufen! – Let it run!
Spiegel Online Sports-Trede Broder-Jurden-June 3, 2007
Translation - Episode 16: Personal Space Invasion: What Happens When Someone Invades Your Personal Space?
The Psych Files-Pod Cast-May 22, 2007 - Looks easy enough… but not for everyone
Brisbane Times-John Gascoigne-April 18, 2007 - Das Tabu-Thema Paruresis – Paruresis:The Taboo Topic
Gesundheit.de Article-April 11, 2007
Translation
2006
- Inability to urinate costs some jobs
St. Louis Post-Dispatch-Deborah L Shelton-July 24, 2006 - If you gotta but can’t, sometimes it’s costly
The Kansas City Star-Joe Lambe-April 24, 2006
2005
- Can you Pee in Public?
About.com-Leonard Holmes-December 16, 2005
(Contains some incorrect information.) - Millions’ cannot pee in public
BBC News-November 26, 2005 - Shy Bladder Syndrome: A Social Phobia Or Functional Disorder Of Micturition?
Medindia.net-October 29, 2005 - Steven Soifer
Baltimore City Paper-Edward Ericson, Jr.-January 19, 2005
2004
- World Toilet Summit: A Flush of Excitement
abcnews.com-Buck Wolf-November 16, 2004 - What’s the alternative?
Times Online-Susan Clark-October 17, 2004 - La peur des toilettes publiques – The fear of public toilets
Journal de Montréal- Andrey Tremblay-August 23, 2004
Translation - A shy bladder can be a job liability
CNN.com-Samantha Murphy/Court TV-July 5, 2004 - Lawsuit claims Ga. worker fired because he couldn’t urinate on demand
Associated Press/The Augusta Chronicle-John Niesse-May 21, 2004 - Drug test clashes with I-can’t-go
The Enquirer-Adam Geller/The Associated Press-February 10, 2004
2003
- Workshop has No. 1 priority
Susan Snyder-Las Vegas Sun-October 17, 2003 - Helping unlock the bathroom ‘stall’
The Boston Globe-Kathleen Nelson-July 28, 2003 - Paruresis or Shy Bladder Syndrome
The Health Report-Norman Swan-March 24, 2003
Or http://www.abc.net.au/rn/healthreport/stories/2003/815781.htm - Don’t look now … you may have a bashful bladder
The Sydney Morning Herald-Jonathan Pearlman-March 6, 2003 - Looking for Relief
The Wall Street Journal-Peter Landers-April 22, 2003
2002
- Will Congress Fund School Drug Tests?
The Federal Observer-July 26, 2002-Hans S. Nichols and Scott Hagen - Out of the water closet: guilty secret of toilet terror revealed
Scotland on Sunday-Orla Heron-May 26, 2002 - Choking at the Bowl
Slate.com-Bryan Curtis-May 13, 2002 - For Some, Drug Tests Are Almost Impossible
The New York Times-Sana Siwolop-April 14, 2002
2001
- The Secret Social Phobia Shy Bladder?
June 11, 2001
2000
- Wistful Whizzers
River Front Times-Jeannette Batz-September 20, 2000 - Bashful bladder hangs up nature’s call
Adoctorinyourhouse.com-John Morgan and Medical Advisor: Stephen A. Shoop, M.D.-June 14, 2000
1999
- Bashful Bladders
Salon.com-Mary Roach-May 21,1999
1998
- Public Peeing Problems Put Right
Scienceagogo.com-August 1, 1998
HELPFUL RESOURCES
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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
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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. Use of the term “member” or “membership” refers to donors above $100 each July 1 to June 30 period and does not convey any legal or ownership rights in IPA.