As we well know, all people from our first years of life acquire new learning, which over time we develop until we master them, such as sphincter control or the correct elimination of our body waste. But what are elimination disorders? Elimination disorders such as enuresis and encopresis (urine and feces) are characteristic childhood conditions and refer to the problems that some children present related to the lack of control to regulate the elimination of feces and urine. These types of disorders may appear due to organic and/or psychological causes and in order to eliminate them, the child is required to carry out psychological therapy with the special care and support of the parents, who have the obligation to perform the exercises entrusted by the child. professional with the child. But, What is the difference between enuresis and encopresis? In this Psychology-Online article, we are going to provide you with information about both disorders.
What is enuresis – definition
Enuresis consists of repeated urine loss and may be carried out voluntarily or involuntarily by the child. These urine leaks occur very frequently in bed and in other places where they should not occur. It can be called enuresis when the child is of an age at which it is considered that he or she should have already acquired an adequate level of sphincter control, which would be after 4 years of age. Regarding sex, it is worth mentioning that, generally, it is girls who tend to gain control of their sphincters first.
Types of enuresis according to the time of occurrence
Enuresis can be classified according to when the loss of urinary control occurs:
- . This type of enuresis is the most common and refers to urine losses that occur while the child is sleeping.
- Daytime enuresis. It is much less frequent than nocturnal and occurs when the child urinates during the day.
- Mixed enuresis. It refers to when urine loss can occur throughout the day, regardless of whether it is day or night.
Types of enuresis according to the onset of the problem
- Primary enuresis. It refers to when the child has never been able to have urinary control.
- Secondary enuresis. It refers to when the child has previously been able to control urination, however, he or she begins to present this problem.
Causes of enuresis
There are different causes why a child may present an elimination disorder such as enuresis, to mention the main ones are the following:
- Hereditary factors. A child is more likely to develop this condition if a family member has had this problem before.
- Emotional stress. When the child is experiencing a high level of stress due to a change or a new situation, for example, the arrival of a younger sibling, a change of city or school, family problems, abuse, etc.
- Disturbed sleep. It may be that the child has a disturbed sleep rhythm and, for example, does not sleep well during the day, is too tired at night and finds it very difficult to get up and go to urinate.
- Physical illnesses. Although it is less common, there are some diseases that cause the child to have problems such as enuresis, for example, diabetes, kidney diseases, urinary infections, among others.
What is encopresis – definition
Encopresis refers to the repeated loss of stool, either involuntarily or voluntarily in places considered inappropriate to do so. The age at which it is considered a problem is after 4 years, ensuring previously that this is not due to any medical condition or due to the side effects of any medication.
Types of encopresis depending on the level of fecal retention
- Retentive encopresis. This type of retentive or overflow encopresis appears when the child retains the emission of feces for a prolonged period, so he or she can remain up to two weeks without defecating. Finally, the child ends up eliminating his or her stools thanks to overflow and does so first by expelling the less solid stools and then the hard and consistent stools, feeling pain when expelling them.
- Non-retentive encopresis. This type of non-retentive encopresis or without constipation arises when the child does not have too long retention without serious constipation and her stools are normal.
Type of encopresis according to sphincter control
- Primary encopresis. When the child has not managed to control the excretion process at some point despite being at an age at which she should already be able to do so.
- Secondary encopresis. When the child has controlled defecation before, but for some reason has stopped doing it again.
Causes of encopresis
Among the main causes of encopresis are the following:
- Fear of being punished. The child may have been forced to use the toilet too soon, long before he was ready to do so, or he may have even been severely punished when he has had episodes of incontinence.
- Demonstrate that you have some power and/or control. On some occasions, the child voluntarily decides not to use the toilet as a way of rebelling against the adults who are caring for him, showing them that he has control over the situation and over himself.
- Traumatic experience. Children who have lived through quite traumatic experiences and have, for example, suffered sexual abuse.
- Emotional stress. It may be that the child is experiencing a stressful situation such as, for example, the birth of a sibling, family problems, parental divorce, change of school, etc.
- Not knowing how to express their negative emotions. Children who cannot openly express their negative emotions and express them through fecal incontinence.
- Constipation. It is the most common cause of encopresis. When experiencing pain when defecating, fear of going to the bathroom and eliminating feces appears over time.
Difference between enuresis and encopresis
After having informed you extensively about elimination disorders, such as enuresis and encopresis, as well as what each of these conditions refers to, the types that exist and what their causes are, we are going to know what the difference is basically. Between both. The main difference between enuresis and encopresis is that enuresis refers to when there is a problem of lack of urine control and encopresis refers to the lack of control of defecation.
Another difference that we can mention is that the cause The most common cause of encopresis is a problem of physical and organic origin, such as constipation, and in the case of enuresis, physical diseases are one of the less common causes.
Finally, it is necessary to mention that as to treatment, because the most common causes that produce each of these disorders are different, in the case of encopresis it would be, depending on the individual situation of each child, more focused on issues related to diet to help improve digestion and overcome constipation. In the case of enuresis, it would be more focused on the use of strategies and the implementation of new habits that allow the child to use the toilet when needed and not retain urine too much.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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