BEDWETTING
n Not only babies wet their beds. That's the message going out this Thursday for National Dry Night's campaign. Bedwetting may be acceptable in young children but when it extends to teenagers, the irritant becomes an embarrassing problem. An estimated 25% of all five-year-olds regularly wet the bed but, surprisingly, up to 4% of all 16 to 20-year-olds also suffer from what the medical field call nocturnal enuresis.
This week the Dry Night Campaign aims to offer practical help and advice to the estimated 130,000 teenage bedwetters in Britain. An unspoken burden to those who suffer from the problem, teenagers are afraid to own up to the condition, believing they are dirty, immature, or even seen as heavy drinkers.
Dr Richard Butler, a consultant clinical psychologist at High Royds Hospital, specialises in the psychological effects of enuresis. He said: ''I feel bedwetting is without doubt a distressing experience for children. It can worsen in adolescence when the young person is faced with the conflict of increased social opportunities, autonomy, and independence, yet troubled by a sense that the problem will never be resolved.'' He adds that guilt, shame, loss of self-esteem, and social withdrawal is common. ''I've even had individuals contemplate suicide as a means of ending the torment,'' he says.
Due to social stigma, sufferers do not seek help for this serious but treatable condition. To help reinforce this message the national charity Enuresis Resource and Information Centre is operating a 24-hour advice line on Thursday. The number is 0117 960 3060.
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