'Dysfunctional voiding...is more commonly seen in recent years,' said Dr Alex T L Lin, of Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan. 'Although we suspect that depression and anxiety are reactions to the dysfunctional voiding, we could not preclude the possibility that psychological abnormalities might predispose one to the occurrence of lower urinary tract dysfunction,' he commented.

Dr Lin noted that the stressful environment of modern society might be a contributing factor for the increased incidence of dysfunctional voiding.

'From our observations, avoiding stressful situations and stress-reduction are important to prevent dysfunctional voiding,' he advised.

Dr Lin and colleagues assessed anxiety and depression symptoms among 32 women with dysfunctional voiding and 31 asymptomatic control women with no lower urinary tract symptoms. The average age of the women studied was 48 years.

A significantly greater degree of depression and anxiety was observed among patients with dysfunctional voiding compared to controls.

'For patients with dysfunctional voiding, psychological intervention to reduce anxiety and depression should be an indispensable part of the treatment plan,' Dr Lin said.

The researchers' next step is to assess the treatment benefit of psychological interventions on dysfunctional voiding. - REUTERS