News — Anxiety

You sit down in a public toilet cubicle and focus on the task at hand – and then it happens. Someone walks into the bathroom and your bowels lock up. You get stage fright, pull up your pants, flush and leave.  If this is a familiar scenario – whether you’re in a work toilet, public loo or even a bathroom in a house-share – you’re not alone. In fact, anxiety around pooing in a public space, known as parcopresis, is “surprisingly common”, says Dr Ben Disney, a consultant gastroenterologist at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire. While most people might not particularly like it,...