The primary characteristic of parcopresis is that sufferers are unable to defecate if there are people in the vicinity - the degree of lack of privacy at which the problem triggers varying from person to person. When I say that they are "unable", that means that there is a physical inability. Parcopresis involves the involuntary control nervous system refusing to co-operate with the will of the sufferer - producing an inability to defecate. In the case of paruresis, the same loss of control occurs, but it affects urination. Some have only one of the conditions, others have both. The key issue is the psychosomatic effect. The presence of other people triggers a shut down of part of their body function. But these are two specific conditions. Lots of people do not experience the psychosomatic effect of parcopresis or paruresis, but they do have phobias or anxiety disorders relating to toilets. Also, there is quite a bit of anecdotal evidence that if someone who does not initially suffer from paruresis or parcopresis, avoids using particular types of toilets on a routine basis for long enough (due some other phobia), these psychosomatic symptoms might start to occur as well.
Responses