Why do I have a fear of pooping in public?

Picture this: You’re enjoying a nice brunch with friends, but you realize you need to excuse yourself for a moment—”nature calls.” It happens to everyone. And while it’s not your first time, your realization throws off your entire night’s plan. Rather than making a trip to the public restroom, you call it a night and quickly head back home to poop in private.

If this describes you, you may have a condition known as parcopresis or a fear of pooping in public places. Parcopresis, also known as shy bowel syndrome, is associated with several psychological conditions, such as contamination OCD, a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), social anxiety disorders, and phobias that can make you anxious about using public restrooms.

Having a fear of pooping in public can become so distressing that you have difficulty leaving home for work, school, or gatherings with friends and family. Over time, this could indicate a more serious issue that requires treatment.

If you’re ready to conquer your fear of public pooping, continue reading to learn about different causes of parcopresis and how you can address them. 

Use your insurance to work with a NOCD specialist to get your fear of pooping in public under control. Book a free call to learn more.

Why am I afraid of pooping in public?

Here are some examples of why you might have poop anxiety:

• You worry about contracting germs. You might avoid pooping in a public bathroom because “other people have used that toilet, so their germs on it,” notes Patrick McGrath, PhD, the Chief Clinical Officer at NOCD. Having this fear could be a sign of health anxiety—which can cause persistent worry about getting ill.
• You want to avoid “Poseidon’s Kiss.” The fear of toilet water splashing on you may keep you from public restrooms. “If I’m a splashy pooper, the toilet water is going to splash on my butt, and now I have infected water from other people’s waste on me,” says Dr. McGrath. This is another common, if specific, worry shared by many people with contamination concerns.
• You don’t want to come in contact with other people’s waste. “Sometimes, people stand at the toilet and miss, and then there’s urine on the floor,” says Dr. McGrath. “And if I have to poop and pull my pants down, I could pick up some of the urine from other people on my pants, and then I’ll be carrying around their urine with me.”
• You don’t want others to hear or smell your poop. You might be poop shy if you don’t want others to know you’re defecating. “I might fart a lot when I poop, and that could be embarrassing,” says Dr. McGrath. “Or, I could have smelly poops, and people may think, ‘Wow, it really stinks in here.’” This might come along with other social anxieties and fears.
• You worry about how you’ll clean yourself afterward. According to Dr. McGrath, parcopresis can make you worry about the toiletries and cleaning supplies available in the public restroom. “What if there’s no toilet paper, and I get poop on my hands?” says Dr. McGrath. “How do I know that the soap in the bathroom is good and will clean me?”

How do I know if my fears of pooping in public are a problem?

Let’s be clear—most of us would probably prefer to poop at home than a public restroom. It’s completely normal to choose the toilet nestled in the comfort of your home over a public toilet that’s been used by countless people you don’t know.

Dr. McGrath says that your fear of pooping in public might be a serious concern if you’re limiting how often you go out in public (which could be a sign of agoraphobia) or leaving an outing to go home to poop and then coming back. “It could be a half-hour drive home, but you’d rather go there to poop instead,” he adds. Essentially, if your worries are keeping you from living life happily and comfortably, it might be time to look for help.

Holding your bowels to poop in private could also be harming your health. “Some people get bowel obstructions because they hold it for too long, so they end up doing damage to their body,” notes Dr. McGrath. According to a 2015 study, possible complications that can arise from not passing your bowels include constipation, functional bowel disease, anal fissures, hemorrhoids, and appendicitis. 

Could my fears be related to a mental condition?

In some cases, feeling anxious about using the restroom in public could be tied to a mental health condition. Here are some mental health conditions that may be the underlying causes for fear of pooping in public.

Anxiety disorders

Everyone gets a bit anxious now and then, but persistent anxiety could be a sign of a bigger issue. People with an anxiety disorder have persistent anxiety that can worsen over time. One anxiety disorder in particular, social anxiety disorder (SAD), may cause a fear of pooping, as you may worry that “you’ll offend people with the smell or sounds of your feces,” says Dr. McGrath. 

Symptoms of social anxiety disorder include: 

• Rapid heart rate
• Blushing, sweating, or trembling
• Feeling like your mind is going blank
• Stiff body posture
• Speaking with an overly soft voice
• Difficulty making eye contact
• Feeling fearful or self-conscious about people judging you
• Avoiding places where there are other people

Parcopresis or shy bowel syndrome

Parcopresis, also known as shy bowel syndrome or psychogenic fecal retention, is a subtype of social anxiety where a person becomes stressed or anxious about pooping in a public bathroom. 

A person living with shy bowel syndrome may have fears about:

• Pooping in a public toilet
• Having an accident in public that others can witness
• The cleanliness of public toilets
• Being in a small, confined area
• Pooping on yourself because you can’t find a nearby bathroom 

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

OCD is a chronic mental health condition in which a person deals with a cycle of intrusive thoughts, images, sensations, feelings and/or urges (obsessions) and responds with physical or mental behaviors to address feelings of distress (compulsions). An OCD subtype that may cause a fear of pooping in public is Contamination OCD. 

People with contamination OCD fear contamination from certain people, places, and objects.  Dr. McGrath shares an example of what this type of OCD can look like: “After I wash my hands, how do I open the door afterward? I still have to touch the door, and I’ve seen people who didn’t wash their hands leave already, so I know that the handle is contaminated.”

How to learn to manage your fear of pooping in public

The best way to overcome parcopresis or shy bowel syndrome is to face it head-on, and that can be accomplished through specialized therapy. “Therapy is key if you want to get better,” says Dr. McGrath.

Exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy is a specialized form of treatment that can help you overcome your fear of having bowel movements in public spaces. This therapy is the gold standard treatment for mental health conditions like anxiety disorders, phobias, and OCD, as it is more effective than other therapies, such as talk therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). 

During an ERP therapy session, you’ll work with a therapist who has specialized training in ERP to gradually confront situations that trigger your anxiety—like the thought of using a public restroom—and then teach you response prevention techniques to help you address your fears. For example, if you’re poop shy, a therapist may have you “start practicing being in a public restroom,” says Dr. McGrath. “Even if you don’t have to poop, a therapist may have you go in, sit down on the toilet, wait a minute, and then leave.” Over time, these exercises can help you become less fearful and better able to live with confidence when you’re away from home.