This is the name given to the inability to urinate or defecate in public urinals , especially when there are people around.
Although figures on its incidence are unreliable, the Baltimore-based International Paruresis Association (www.paruresis.org) estimates that in its most disabling forms it affects between one and two million Americans , while another 15 million present diffuse forms of the disorder.
Those who suffer from it are afraid of attracting attention with the sound and smells that comes with doing our needs in a public area. Difficulty urinating that some people experience when urine samples are requested for clinical testing can also be paruretic.
In the most acute cases, those affected may have serious problems traveling on vacation and attending meetings or public events.
