Bowel and bladder anxiety: An obsession or a variant of agoraphobia?

Abstract

It has long been debated whether bowel and bladder anxiety are a part of obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder or a variant of agoraphobia with no consensus view yet. Tricyclic antidepressants are reportedly efficacious in such cases and lead to complete resolution of symptoms. Here, we report a 36-year-old male having urges to visit toilet when in public places or where toilets are not easily available and a resulting avoidance of such spaces fearing an episode of incontinence. Symptoms originated 16 years ago when he was in university which compelled him to drop out. We treated him with paroxetine and relaxation therapy to which he responded satisfactorily.

Keywords

• Agoraphobia
• bowel and bladder anxiety
• bowel obsession
• paroxetine