Psychogenic Urinary Retention
Author: mzPOTTER
What is psychogenic urinary retention?
Psychogenic urinary retention or “shameful bladder syndrome” is a social anxiety disorder is the difficulty to urinate when in the presence of others. The disorder may begin at any age and affects mainly children and men, although it may have women and girls.
It’s hard to know what proportion of people are affected by this disorder, although some studies suggest that up to 7% of the population. This figure could be even greater.Why do some people have psychogenic urinary retention?
The exact cause of psychogenic urinary retention is unknown. Seems to be due to a combination of inherited biological and environmental factors that influence the patient.
What are the symptoms?
- Fear of urine or difficulty in doing so when others are nearby.
- Patients think that someone can knock on the door of the bathroom at any time, or you may see or hear while urinating or can be outside waiting, which causes them great concern.
- When people are close by and the patient has to urinate, experience anxiety, anger, and body shame. These emotions cause a contraction of the internal and external urethral sphincter. The sphincters are circular muscles that limit the passage of urine involuntarily and voluntarily. To produce urination both sphincters are relaxed.
- Psychogenic urinary retention usually occurs when patients have to use public services such as those in buses, ships, trains or planes.
- Can also be very problematic to obtain a sample for a urinalysis.
- Retention of urine can also occur at home when visiting the sick, regardless of whether or not in the bathroom.
- The difficulty urinating disappears when the patient is sure that there is no person closely and think it is very unlikely to get someone.
- In severe cases, patients spend much time waiting for everyone to disappear from the public service to urinate. Some completely avoid urinating in public services. This can severely limit patients’ social life, preventing such a vacation.
- In some extreme cases, the work is chosen based on the possibility of having access to a fully private bath curto.
credit to: Dr. John Pillinger