We think it is: "An inability to urinate in the presence, real or perceived, of others". Common names for the condition are Shy Bladder, Bashful Bladder, Pee Shy or Stage Fright. A medical description is Psychogenic Urinary Retention. It affects both men and women, of all ages and backgrounds. Sufferers are often called Avoidant Paruretics (or APs for short), because their paruresis causes them to avoid situations that make it difficult or impossible for them to be able to pee.

Find out more about paruresis in What is Paruresis?, see what others are saying on the forum, look at what you can start doing in Living with Paruresis, find out about people's experiences of managing and overcoming paruresis in Paruresis Stories, and register your interest for one of our virtual workshops in Workshops.

For the implications of workplace urine testing click here.

The condition was first researched and defined by Williams and Degenhardt in their paper "Paruresis: a Survey of a Disorder of Micturition" published in the Journal of General Psychology, 1954, 51, 19-29.

It can also affect people's ability to defecate, though by its nature this is usually less of a problem - an information site about this may be found at: www.shybowel.com