Question Title: The physical dangers of children not being allowed to use the toilet

Hi, I was wondering if you could tell me the physical health risks of teachers and parents not allowing children to use the toilet. There are certianly numerous psychological risks. Not only was I a victim of this form of abuse as a child, but I witnessed this practice on a daily basis in schools. Since then, I have collected literally hundreds of personal experiences from adults who were subjected to this abuse as children by both teachers and parents. Some of these people have developed urine holding fetishes that continue to damage their bodies. Often this practice is an issue of adult convenience and is often used as a form of punishment. What are your thoughts on teachers treating toilet use as a "privilege" and taking it away as "punishment"? As a late adolescent, I developed countless urinary tract infections, and a severe bowel obstruction that required three surgeries. My bladder sphincter was constantly prone to spasms, pain and leakage. Also, my bladder seemed to stretch, causing me to need to urinate every hour to every hour and a half. These problems have not gone away as an adult. And the psychological pain has probably been just as severe.
What are your thoughts on this matter? Thank you fot this opportunity.

Dear L.A.C.,
I am not familiar with what you have described as the use of urine holding as a form of punishment. However, I can see how such a practice could be a detriment to one’s physical and psychological health.
Parents and teachers at times may tell some children to hold their urine until such appropriate time as when a bathroom is available or when the class is over. This may merely be an indication that those parents or teachers are not aware of the child’s urgency to urinate. Now if the child loses his/ her urine, or temper for that matter, or both, the whole process could potentially spiral down to a struggle and power game. This could obviously become a chronic issue, and could serve as a point of conflict, thereby undermining the possibility of an amicable relationship between the two parties involved.

From a urologic standpoint, there are many individuals, children and adults, who may be suffering from an overactive or unstable bladder. This condition usually leads to a sense of urgency to urinate. Often this is a sudden urge which the individual has little or no control over. If unable to relieve the bladder the person in question could become agitated and quite uncomfortable. If they lose their urine on top of it all, they could become very embarassed as well. Such individuals should be seen and evaluated by a urologist, since the cause needs to be sorted out to rule out any bad underlying problems. Other possible causes include bladder infection, bladder tumors and bladder stones to name a few. Furthermore, there are medications and other forms of treatment that can help these people to prevent the attacks or urinary urgency. These individuals should also have special permission from their doctor to be able to leave class in order to relieve their bladder, when they sense the need. The parents should also be educated so that they would accomodate their child in the time of need.
By holding the urine for long periods of time, if at all possible, besides the agony and discomfort and possible eventual embarassment, the bladder becomes overstretched and lazy overtime. The back pressure from a full bladder could also cause deterioration of kidney function in the long run. Those with” urine holding habits” beware!
By educating the parents and teachers to raise their awareness of the underlying problems, these bad outcomes can hopefully be resolved.

This information is provided for general medical education purposes only. Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options pertaining to your specific medical condition. More individualized care is available at the Henry Ford Hospital and its urban campuses by calling (1 800 653 6568).

Sincerely;
HFHS M.D.- BE
* Keyword:urine holding

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