|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Children Grown Up: Teenage and Adolescent Bedwetting
Urinating while asleep, also called nocturnal enuresis, is common in children. It is messy and upsetting, but as it is unintentional, it is simply an indication of a growing body system growing adapted to sleeping without a diaper. Nocturnal enuresis in teenagers and adolescents, though, may be worrisome for parents; it can be embarrassing for older children, and is considered a bodily sign of deeper problems in a teenager or adolescent.
What causes bedwetting? To understand it, one has to know how the kidneys and their related hormones work together. One particular hormone, the antidiuretic hormone, controls the body's discharge of water. This antidiuretic hormone participates in a hormone cycle that ensures that the bladder will not be full until the morning; this in turn ensures that a person will urinate when he or she wakes up.
This antidiuretic hormone cycle, however, is not entirely operational in babies. It develops as children age; in a few cases, it will be stable at the end of puberty; in very rare cases, the cycle will not be established at all. These rare scenarios are a potential cause of adolescent bedwetting.
Another means of controlling urination is via the brain itself, which, for its part, controls the body's capability to awaken prior to urination. In children, this is learned by the brain, as it grows more and more aware of the body's hormonal cycles. This learning process, however, can be interrupted by certain factors such as emotional or physical stress. Such stress can be as mild as forcing children to urinate when they are not fully awake. Other contributing factors can be brutal, such as physical or sexual abuse.If your teenager or adolescent wets their, you may consider one of the following treatments.
The first consideration in teenage bedwetting is the body's inability to develop the antidiuretic hormone cycle, or the brain's inability to recognize it. Physicians may suggest antidepressants such as Nortriptyline and Amitriptyline, both of which can treat bedwetting for three or four months.
Desmopressin, another common bedwettingdrug, mimics the role of the antidiuretic hormone, and can be used when diagnosis points to poor hormonal development as the source of the bedwetting.
The second consideration when treating teenage bedwetting is the brain's inability to both recognize the antidiuretic hormone cycle, and to control it with respect to time and sleep. To address this, psychiatrists advocate training machines such as the bedwetting alarm. This nocturnal device can help condition adolescents to wake up when they first feel moisture, and discover that they must urinate. Ideally, this will lead to the body finally being able to identify when the bladder is full, and can curb teenage bedwetting.
The third consideration may be the body's total inability to control bedwetting, which is relatively rare. In this case, physicians recommend using diapers or pads, which will help ease the discomfort associated with bedwetting. Although this may lessen the embarrassment, it will not stop bedwetting entirely, and other measures should be taken to stop the problem.
The last consideration may be the brain's inability to control urination or recognize the antidiuretic hormone cycle because of mental issues. Such issues may be brought about by stress; if this stress stems from physical or sexual abuse, your child may refuse to talk to you about it. Psychiatric care and therapy is recommended in these situations; though therapy may not directly target the problem of teenage bedwetting, it may give you and your child closure on any problems that are brought to light.
Teenage or adolescent bedwetting is a treatable disorder, and it requires both patience and consideration on the part of the concerned parent. If your adolescent is wetting his or her bed, take him or her to your doctor, and have the problem diagnosed and treated. In no time, your adolescent will bedwetting.
Return to Bedwetting | Enuresis...
