I have a strange problem - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Message Board

blue*moon · 08-09-2004, 08:01 AM

OK....ehm...I wasn't too sure where to put this, I've tried the stress & anxiety forum, but they sent me here.

I have a very strange problem....I have a hard time going to the toilet in public restrooms. Very often when I need to go...I sit there and nothing happens....I really need to go but it just won't happen. And the more I need to , the worse are chances that I actually can.
This really bothers me, because sometimes when I'm on a trip, all I do is run from one restroom to the next , then I sit there and wait, try to relax, try to set my mind on other things, until I finally think I can't wait any longer because other people might ask themselves why I am spending so much time on a toilet, and then I go on, searching for the next toilet.....
Does anyone know whether there's anything I can do about it? And by the way, it runs in the family I think.

kingam · 08-09-2004, 08:10 AM

i have the same thing... but i cant go #2 in public bathrooms if other people are in there... even when i go to **** i can hardly do it, and the longer it takes i start thinking "they can tell im not peeing, they are wondering what im doing"...

it sucks... i just accept it as a personality quirk... not something i have to "fix"... its a social phobia...

Wowwwweeee · 08-09-2004, 09:26 AM

Hi,

It sounds like you may have a phobia akin to another phobia called BBS, or Bashful Bladder Symptom.

BBS is a type of social phobia, meaning a person is usually shy and fears being scrutinized or criticized by others when performing in public— in this case, urinating in a public restroom.

If you do a search on this condition on the Internet, you may find some tips to help you overcome the current problems you are experiencing.

Usually, exposure and practice are the best tools to use to overcome this type of phobia.

Good luck!

blue*moon · 08-09-2004, 10:15 AM

well....first of all....I'm a girl, so have my own isolated toilet ....still I have lots of trouble.
Good to hear that there are others...
Practise doesn't help....because I tried that very often....
well...I'll see whether I can find anything, thanks for your replies

girl3900 · 08-09-2004, 02:40 PM

"they can tell im not peeing, they are wondering what im doing"..

hehe...sorry to laugh but I thought i was the only one with this problem. It's kinda funny but frustrating. I usually have my friend come into the bathroom and turn the water on so you can't hear if I'm going or not. If it's dead quiet and there's another person in the bathroom, there's absolutely no way I can go. It's kinda like I feel too pressured to do it. What I do is try not to think about it so much....just get in there and go. If I still can't, I plug my ears and tell myself I can do it. haha