Bed Wetting - Other Forms of Behavior Modification Treatment
One of the most beneficial ways to treat bed wetting from a behavioral perspective is by way of a bed wetting alarm or moisture alarm. These useful devices can be purchased for anywhere from fifty to one hundred dollars and should be carried by most drug stores as well as medical supply stores. There are also ways to purchase the alarms from catalogues available over the Internet. Research into moisture alarms has shown that they have tremendously helped children in remaining dry night after night. It is important to have a patient and supportive family unit when undertaking this form of treatment for bed wetting as it could take anywhere from a few short weeks to many months for the alarm to be successful in its goal. It is important to note that moisture alarms show very few relapses as opposed to other forms of treatment and their projected long-term success rate is high.
A moisture alarm is basically a clip-on sensor probe that is attached to the outside of underwear, pajama bottoms, a nightgown or is strategically placed under the bed sheet close to a child’s bottom. When a child begins to urinate in the night, the sensor sets off the alarm which then wakes the child up and lets them know that they need to go to the bathroom and empty their bladder. After this the child can return to bed and reset the alarm in case the urge to urinate again later in the night arises. After being awakened enough times by the alarm, the brain becomes conditioned to respond as promptly as possible when the brain sends out the signal that the bladder is full and needs to be emptied as soon as possible. There are some cases where children, especially toddlers, sleep so soundly that they do not hear or feel the alarm going off at all. In this case it would be necessary for a sibling sleeping in the same room or a parent to wake the bed wetter up. If this happens on too many occasions then it is not likely to be the best form of treatment for this particular problem.
Hypnosis is another form of behavior modification that has met with a great deal of success. The adult or child who bed wets on a regular basis spends time repeatedly listening to a special hypnosis tape. This helps to “re-program” the bladder and by so doing will allow the child to be as aware of a full bladder at night as they are during their daytime hours.
Psychotherapy (which is often a fancy word for counseling) is sometimes used for children who suffer a great deal of angst and anxiety in coping with their bed wetting. Also if this stress is interfering with treatment methods, psychotherapy might be in order. Psychotherapy is defined as “A set of techniques intended to improve mental health, emotional or behavioral issues of individuals, group, or family interactional climates.” Psychotherapy cannot only help those suffering from primary enuresis, but those suffering from secondary enuresis that relates to stress and/or a stressful event or situation, as well.
Many doctors recommend a combination of therapies for optimum results, such as combining simple behavior modification in the form of positive reinforcement with hypnosis and a bed wetting alarm.
