Paruresis Anonymous

Hi, my name is Superbus, and I suffer from paruresis.

Yes, I have shy-wee. Stage-fright. Bashful bladder. Public Piss Syndrome. Call it what you will, when confronted with a urinal (particularly if surrounded by fellow facility-users), my ability to urinate just deserts me.

I stare at the wall, overcome by two main emotions - fear, and awkwardness. Fear that everyone knows that I am not in fact doing a wee, and awkwardness in that I don't know what to do - stare straight ahead at the wall? Look down in disgust at my non-performing ally? Just close my eyes and hope that something, anything, eventually happens?

Usually, the inevitable does happen and I release the flood, blasting the urinal, as it were, with piss. But by that point the seconds of standing there, penis in hand, have done their damage to my psyche. Furthermore, on occasion I have had to leave the urinal upon a cubical becoming available, in order to do my business in peace.

Recently, a documentary on the issue was produced, which I found to be rather inspirational:




So who else is a sufferer of this debilitating disorder?