Your Concerns About Encopresis without Constipation and Overflow Incontinence

You said that your child often has times when s/he poops in places other than the toilet. Your child probably does this in a place where you notice it. Your child may do this to upset or annoy you. You said your child has been doing this at least once a month for the past 3 months (or longer). Your child's doctor feels that there is no clear medical reason for his/her toileting problem. You also said that your child does not have problems with constipation. The type of soiling problem that you said your child has is pretty uncommon. Children who have these problems often have a disorder called Encopresis.

You reported some of the following:

• Your child poops in inappropriate places (e.g. in clothing or on the floor). This can either be an accident or on purpose.
• Your child does this at least once a month for 3 months.
• Your child is at least 4 years old.
• Your child is not using laxatives as a reason for soiling. S/he does not have a medical problem that could lead to these types of soiling problems.

About 1 in 100 5-year-olds has these types of soiling problems. It is more common in boys than girls.

Children with this type of problem may feel self-conscious about it. They may try to avoid places (e.g. camp or school) where they think they might have a soiling accident. Children with soiling problems may be made fun of or teased by other children. This leads some children to feel badly about themselves.

If your child soils on purpose, in noticeable places, it is possible that s/he does not feel bad about doing this. Your child may also have other problems such as not minding, arguing, fighting, or stealing.

Adapted in part from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Primary Care (DSM-PC) (1996) and the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) (1994) .