What is Shy Bladder Syndrome (SBS)?Shy bladder syndrome is a form of social anxiety. Other forms of social anxiety are stuttering, blushing, extreme nervousness or perhaps finding it difficult to speak to another person.
SBS causes someone to experience extreme anxiety (often due to a negative or traumatic event associated with urination) which causes them to be unable to urinate, either with others present or even with a threat that others may walk in on them.
How do you know if you have SBS?
This is simplistic but fairly accurate..
First of all, ask yourself: "Am I usually able to pee without problems in the safety of my own home or when there is no one else around?"
Then ask yourself: "Am I unable to or often have great difficulty in starting or maintaining a flow of urine in with others around i.e. usually in a public toilet setting?"
So, if you answered a resolute "YES" to both questions then there is a good chance you have shy bladder syndrome.
Am I alone?
The curious thing about shy bladder syndrome is that the person with it usually feels very "weird" or "strange" and often extremely embarrassed that they have this affliction. So much so that they would possibly chew their own toes off rather than admit they have this thing (I'm not suggesting you try that by the way).
SBS is reported to affect up to 7% of the male population in the US alone (that's in the region of 10 million men if you hadn't worked it out). Given the secrecy surrounding SBS figures maybe highly underestimated with actual figures being far higher. Shy bladder, although women are not unaffected, does primarily affect men. This is not really surprising given the fact that men are subject to an almost complete lack of privacy when entering a public toilet. From a societal perspective, it appears to be part of being a "proper man" to not be concerned with superficialities like 'wanting or needing some privacy' when peeing. Guys are supposed to be able to 'strut their stuff and do their business' without a care in the world. An inability to be able to live up to this standard results in a feeling of complete emasculation for the individual.
Additionally, unlike women, men don't typically discuss personal problems with peers or contact professionals for help. This means that millions of men go through their daily lives suffering in silence; feeling they are alone.
Avoidance
A large factor in the condition's maintenance is that it feeds off 'avoidance' (hence the term 'avoidant paruretic' or AP). Simply avoiding putting oneself in a situation where there is no option but to have to attempt to use a public toilet, becomes the norm for most sufferers. Avoiding that well-deserved beer at the bar after work or avoiding going to watch the football game, although devastating in its effect on the individuals social life, becomes the only viable option. The relief experienced from avoiding these potentially embarrassing scenarios causes a reinforcement in the avoidant behaviour.
Shy bladder syndrome appears to be far more common in the general population than anyone is actually aware of. The extreme embarrassment surrounding it and given men's propensity to not usually want to discuss personal problems, means this topic is likely to remain in the shadows.
If you have SBS then you are definitely not alone and I hope you find some relief in that fact. There is help out there and you can rest assured that with enough determination to do so, you will be able to overcome shy bladder and claim back your life!
Interested in other issues such as: urine drug testing and shy bladder?
If you found this article of interest and would like to know more then please visit
http://www.overcomingshybladder.com. This website was set up to provide as much relevant information as possible for people like you. People who need it the most. People who, everyday, feel they are alone and often wonder how they will get through another day at the office avoiding work colleagues, or having to make excuses why you can't make it to the baseball or the soccer match at the weekend.
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http://www.overcomingshybladder.com. This website was set up to provide as much relevant information as possible for people like you. People who need it the most. People who, everyday, feel they are alone and often wonder how they will get through another day at the office avoiding work colleagues, or having to make excuses why you can't make it to the baseball or the soccer match at the weekend.
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