National Campaign is launched to increase awareness of bedwetting

A new survey highlights the psychological and social impact of child bedwetting on children and reveals worrying levels of exclusion and bullying. If the condition is not managed effectively, it can have a dramatic effect on a child's life. Many sufferers feel that their friendships have been damaged by their problem, with nearly a fifth experiencing being laughed at or picked on as a result of their condition. Over half of the children who wet the bed indicated that they are unable to stay away from home at a friend's house or on a school trip.

ERIC, the National Bedwetting Charity, is launching a nationwide awareness campaign during National Bedwetting Awareness Week (commencing 12 May 2003). The campaign, lead by School Nurses in schools across the country, aims to educate children about the condition and the support mechanisms available to them. Out of a class of thirty 10 year olds it is estimated that two are bedwetters.

Penny Dobson, Director of ERIC, said, "Bedwetting is an extremely common childhood disorder affecting over half a million children in the UK - it is both disappointing and shocking that this common condition still remains stigmatised among children and misunderstood among parents."

Unfortunately, a lack of understanding is also prevalent among parents - over 80% of parents do not believe that bedwetting is a medical condition and wrongly believe that stress, worry and laziness are the major causes. Bedwetting is defined as a young person over the age of five who has at least three wetting episodes a week. The main causes are (1) urine production not slowing down at night - insufficient amounts of the substance that reduces urine production (Vasopressin) is produced, (2) bladder instability, (3) difficulty in waking to the sensation of a full bladder.

The useful website www.MyNightOwl.org covers all night-time and sleep-related issues for parents to use with their children to educate, advise and reassure and is a good medium for both parents and children to find out more about bedwetting and treatment options available in the privacy of their own home. Leaflets for parents and children can be requested from the website. For further information, help and advice contact ERIC on 0117 960 30 60 or www.eric.org.uk