u/Effective_Soil_4850

First of all, hello everyone. I wish you all peace and happiness in your lives; I want to thank you very, very much for taking the time to write something here to help me. I’m not English, so I apologize for my poor English. Now, let me begin.

First, I’d like to ask this question: Why doesn’t anyone on Reddit write about having managed to overcome paruresis within a few months? Why don’t people share definitive solutions to everything? This gives me the impression that paruresis will never go away and will always stay with me. Friends, please help me...

I’ve been struggling with paruresis for about four years. I can’t even begin to describe my days—they’re filled with unhappiness, restlessness, depression, nausea, and so many other negative emotions. By the way, I’m a high school student.

School has started in my area, and there’s only one restroom with three stalls; it’s used by 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. As you can imagine, I expect the restroom to be crowded; I just transferred to this school.

I’ve been seeing a psychologist and taking medication for eight months, but I haven’t been able to overcome this damn condition; it has ruined my life so much that I can’t enjoy anything anymore. I have a condition similar to chronic depression; I’m constantly unhappy and stressed. In fact, this is now affecting my body as well: I have diarrhea, my heart aches, I feel nauseous, I have headaches, I wake up in the morning feeling completely unmotivated, and I’m constantly unmotivated and unhappy...

The problem is that I’m stuck in this state 24 hours a day. When I get home from school, I think, “What am I going to do tomorrow?” As you can see, this is ruining my life; not only is it creating difficulties, but it’s also led to conditions like OCD.

Now, guys, everyone is suggesting different things to get past this. First of all, breathing exercises or similar techniques didn’t work for me. I think the only thing I need to do to get past this is to go into a crowded restroom over time and wait in a stall for three minutes—to get used to the crowd and face my fear. Isn’t that right?

I have school tomorrow and I don’t even want to go—you’ll never understand how I feel. I feel like I’m going to throw up. Please help me—what exactly should I do to get past this? So far, I haven’t read anything on Reddit like, “Yeah, guys, I had paruresis too. I faced my fear and overcame it within a few months.” Guys, it feels like getting past this is going to be really, really hard for me—it even feels like an impossible curse that will never go away.

Anyway, I hope I’ve made myself clear. I mean, life sometimes feels meaningless—to be honest, sometimes I just want to die. Why do I have to live with this stress every day? Why have my days been so awful for the past four years? If this keeps up, what’s the point of living in the future? Don’t you think so too?

I’m seriously going to throw up—I feel terrible, and I don’t want to go through this anymore. Ah, well, I’m sorry, but please help me. This year, I want to get past this and turn my life around. I’m begging you, please help me. I want my life to have meaning—I want every day of my youth to be happy and peaceful, not filled with depression. Thank you so much in advance. Tomorrow I’ll go to that damn crowded school, and as soon as I get home, I’ll check your replies on Reddit.

First of all, hello everyone—I apologize for my poor English.

I’m a high school student, and I’ve been dealing with paruresis for about four years now, and I’m fed up—I can’t take it anymore. I also have OCD, which was triggered by my paruresis.

I’m on vacation right now; school starts next week in the country where I live, and I just enrolled there—I have no idea what it’s like :(

Paruresis has ruined my life; it’s pushed me into depression. Sometimes I’ve even thought about wanting to die. I’ve been receiving psychological counseling and taking medication for almost 8 months now.

Last year, I spent about three months doing exercises at my school to overcome my paruresis. I tried going into a restroom stall and waiting for about three minutes even when it was crowded, or when a few troublemakers were shouting and laughing in there, or when the restroom was packed.

To be honest, I’m not sure if it’s because I only tried it for a short time or if it just didn’t work. I tried the breath-holding technique, but it didn’t work.

I’m so fed up with life—I have OCD, social anxiety, and paruresis, and damn it, no one knows how to get through this :(

I’m starting at my new school next week, and I can already say I’m depressed :( I don’t know what to do; I don’t want to go into those damn public restrooms. Sometimes I don’t even want to live—I hate myself, and I hate—I really, really hate—that no one can offer me a solution to this situation.

Damn it, why did this happen to me? Why did this happen to me during my teenage years? Why did it choose me? Damn it, why me, why me, why me?

Once, I decided to tell a friend about this and explained my situation. My friend turned to me and said, “You must be joking right now—are you serious? It’s impossible for you to be going through something like this.”

Yes, friends, as of right now, I want to overcome this curse; I don’t want to fight depression anymore. Please help me—tell me how to get through this. My paruresis is even invading my dreams now. In my dreams, I go to the bathroom in a crowd and can’t go at all, and all sorts of ridiculous things happen to me.

Please help me.