Why is there such as social stigmas attached to bed wetting?

Mothers at the school gate stand and discuss their children’s behaviour (both good and bad), problems in and out of school, illnesses and any number of things, but you won’t hear,

“Oh Johnny wet the bed again last night. That makes five this week!”

Nobody talks about bedwetting or enuresis. It seems to be a taboo subject, even though it is extremely common in 5 to 10 year olds, and extends into teenage years and adulthood in alarming numbers. Although exact statistics are not easy to verify because of sufferers’ reticence to admit their problem, Ferguson, Harwood and Sharmon conducted a study that showed that enuresis affects 15 -20% of five year olds worldwide, and continues into teenage years in 1 – 1.5% of the population.

Neither is it a new phenomenon. Historical data shows it is not a result of our modern living. It has always been around.

Today though, there are a number of products including the Nighthawk Alarm that have proven success records in stopping bed wetting in children, teenagers, and adults. Today there is no reason why any family should live with the stigma of bedwetting.

Maybe if the mothers at the school gate didn’t feel the need to keep their child’s bedwetting to themselves, and there was more open discussion and proactivity, there would be less of a stigma and the whole cycle could be reversed.

You don’t hear television talk shows openly discussing enuresis. Maybe if the media was less conscious of the stigmas and more open about this subject, the stigma could be done away with, and once again the cycle could be broken.

P.Besley