Teenage bed wetting

[robbieshell]

My son just turned 13 in April.  He is taking medication (for allmost 3 months) but it isn't working.  He is still wetting the bed.  He has a appointment with a Urologist next month.  What can we expect from this appointment.



About 1 year ago he had stopped bed wetting for months and now it is back.  What insight can you give us?  Thank you.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

The urology evaluation is important to detrmine if there is any structural irregularity that might help explain the nocturnal enuresis. If the medical workup proves negative, your son may be one of the 2-5% of children his age who display nocturnal enuresis in the absence of any urological irregularity. Such a condition generally does not have any underlying psychological cause, though it can bring with it some emotional/social issues, because children often restrict their peer relations/activities due to their unease. So, they often don't participate in sleepovers, e.g., at their or their peers' homes; they sometimes avoid overnight camps, etc. There are now several medications that can prove helpful - don't give up even if one hasn't been helpful. And, while psychological factors generally are not central to this problem, they sometimes can be, particularly if children are experiencing trauma or significant stress of some sort.

[cjinspain]

A related discussion, bed wetting was started.