# Is urinating outside a sign of a mental health problem? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 7, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655 "2011-06-07T19:58:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655/21 "2011-06-08T13:58:36Z")
I’ve caught my brother peeing in the kitchen sink a couple times. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655/22 "2011-06-08T17:10:04Z")
At the risk of sounding like a total Josie Grossie…I have urinated in public a few times…only at night though, not in view of ANYONE and most importantly, while drunk. I don’t think I’d ever do that sober (unless I were in the woods and there were no bathrooms). ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655/23 "2011-06-08T18:18:29Z")
Once, driving to Mammoth at night, I pulled into a gas station in Mojave. There was a lady (and I’m using this term loosely I guess) squatting and taking a shit in front of the gas station. A gas station with a huge restroom. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655/24 "2011-06-08T19:31:53Z")
I’m going on memory here —but it seems that a point was made in the book _Sybil_ that her mentally ill mother did this. She’d go out in the middle of the night and piss and shit in neighbors’ back yards. The analysis that I remember from the book was that she was literally telling the neighbors what she thought of them, “You’re nothing. I piss in your yard.” Again, as I say, this mother was extremely ill; if you know the story, the abuse Sybil suffered was why she developed all the personalities. To cope. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655/25 "2011-06-08T19:32:58Z")
Moving thread from MPSIMS to IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655/26 "2011-06-08T19:42:24Z")
Visited a buddy recently with some other guy friends and he actually asked us to do it outside, on some weeds he was trying to kill. I did my manly part (he provided the beer.) Maybe the OP’s dad is trying to get rid of a stubborn patch of weeds? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655/27 "2011-06-08T19:42:31Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I’ve caught my brother peeing in the kitchen sink a couple times. Well, he said he was going to dew the dishes. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655/28 "2011-06-08T20:46:11Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Well, he said he was going to dew the dishes. Don’t even get me started about that. I asked him to do the dishes once and his reply was “do you mean ‘do’ as in ‘wash’?” Either there is something wrong with him or he’s the laziest human being ever to draw breath. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655/29 "2011-06-08T21:31:16Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > If it is, than the majority of men are crazy. I would walk past the bathroom to go out to the back deck to piss. I’ve got news for you; most men do NOT do this. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655/30 "2011-06-08T21:39:08Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > If it is, than the majority of men are crazy. I would walk past the bathroom to go out to the back deck to piss. > [@RickJay](#): > > I’ve got news for you; most men do NOT do this. What? I piss on **sitchensis’** deck all the time. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655/31 "2011-06-08T21:46:24Z")
I dunno. On the other hand, \ most conversations about magically switching genders always involve women saying the 1st thing they’d do is go pee their names into the snow. \ **Robot** , there’s something wrong with him AND he’s the laziest human to draw a breath. Why must it be one or the other? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Submerged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Submerged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Submerged)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655/32 "2011-06-08T21:51:12Z")
I live in a rural area and we have a lot of get-togethers of friends and family around here. After dark, men and boys are pretty much expected to pee outdoors, so as to keep the bathrooms open for women, and people who need to do #2. No biggie around here. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655/33 "2011-06-08T21:54:52Z")
If it’s necessary, that’s one thing, if it’s recreational, then there’s something else going on. (IANAP) Talk to his doctor and see if there’s more to it. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655/34 "2011-06-08T22:15:53Z")
> [@Submerged](#): > > I live in a rural area and we have a lot of get-togethers of friends and family around here. After dark, men and boys are pretty much expected to pee outdoors, so as to keep the bathrooms open for women, and people who need to do #2. No biggie around here. Same here - it’s routine in in rural NZ (and a lot of suburban NZ too). ---
**Author:** ![Submerged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Submerged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Submerged)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655/35 "2011-06-08T22:25:13Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > If it’s necessary, that’s one thing, if it’s recreational, then there’s something else going on. (IANAP) Talk to his doctor and see if there’s more to it. Also know a couple of guys who just prefer to go outdoors. Gazing at the stars, listening to the crickets, whatever. There is something to be said for not standing over a bowl of pee in a tiny airless room… ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655/36 "2011-06-08T23:55:21Z")
> [@Submerged](#): > > Also know a couple of guys who just prefer to go outdoors. Gazing at the stars, listening to the crickets, whatever. There is something to be said for not standing over a bowl of pee in a tiny airless room… Yet in movies, far few men are attacked by something horrible when they pee indoors. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655/37 "2011-06-09T02:27:47Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > I am confused and intrigued by your post. Can you elaborate? Does this mean dudes are peeing in hallways, or that they’re collecting urine in bottles inside their apartments or something? As an apartment dweller of 20 years, I haven’t encountered this so am very curious. > > A bit of a hijack… I was looking at a condo in a building that had a laundry room as opposed to a washer and dryer in each unit. Someone had crapped on the floor in the middle of the laundry room. I did not make an offer. ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655/38 "2011-06-09T03:17:41Z")
If one is in private outdoor setting, it probably more a sign of mental health problems to have to run inside to pee in a porcelain bowl. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655/39 "2011-06-09T03:56:50Z")
I don’t know. Depends on how your old man grew up and where? I mean Billy Carter was famous for pissing like the farmer he was, which was pretty much anywhere outside when he needed to go. I had friends like this when I grew up. Hell, if I need to really go, there’s no where convenient and there’s a decent semi hidden spot outdoors, I’ll whip it out and whiz like a big dawg. It’s pretty rare when that happens these days sans beer. So, he might be crazy, and it might just be a case of “sticking it to the man” and pissing his rights back. Is he doing this when kids are around or just other adults that might get shocked? ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655/40 "2011-06-09T04:13:33Z")
> [@LurkerInNJ](#): > > I was looking at a condo in a building that had a laundry room as opposed to a washer and dryer in each unit. > > Someone had crapped on the floor in the middle of the laundry room. > > I did not make an offer. _Wow._ Maybe it was someone being foreclosed on… I’ve lived in mid-priced, not-fabulous-but-nice-enough apartments for a long time, with shared laundry rooms, and have never dealt with human evacuations of any kind. Now the El platforms, those are a different story… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-urinating-outside-a-sign-of-a-mental-health-problem/584655.md?page=3)