The National Phobics Society has classified the disorder as an anxiety condition in its own right, and is bringing out a self-help book and DVD.
Toilet phobia can show up as a mild disliking for public lavatories but some people develop such an extreme obsession that they become housebound and may refuse to have potentially life-saving medical examinations. Routine situations that require the provision of a urine sample fill some patients with terror.
Toilet phobics may also deny themselves fluids and this behaviour can harm the kidneys, or they may take drugs to avoid "accidents".
Several conditions are thought to be the cause of toilet phobia, including: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which is linked to a fear of contamination, Agoraphobia - an anxiety disorder showing itself in a sense of feeling trapped, Paruresis - the fear of urinating in the company of others and Parcopresis - the inability to evacuate the bowels in public toilets.
Treatments for toilet phobia include cognitive behaviour therapy, which helps people to break the cycle of faulty thinking to do with the problem, and hypnosis.
