What the potomania?

The eating disorders do not concern only food, but also water. This is called potomania. If the disease often goes unnoticed or is completely ignored, the consequences are more serious and dangerous. A psychiatric care is needed.
The potomania is a psychiatric disorder characterized by an irresistible urge to drink and uncontrolled exaggerated amount of water constantly and permanently, even if the patient is not thirsty. Also referred to as primary polydipsia polydipsia or psychological. This phenomenon leads to frequent urination, which can then be mistaken for signs of diabetes.

The potomania concerns mainly water, but some drinks can be consumed in an exaggerated manner, except alcohol.

The potomania is an eating disorder that moved very slowly and is more insidious compared to bulimia or anorexia nervosa. A potomania can sometimes go unnoticed when equated to the rhythm of normal life. These are often people who linger in cafes, bars but also that frequently remain in the toilet. The disease can be camouflaged by the patient, or on the contrary, completely ignored.

At a more advanced stage, the kidneys are not able to eliminate excessive water intake, which causes water retention, causing edema (including the brain) or overweight. The potomania can lead to intoxication when the amount of water absorbed more than 10 liters per day. Other complications may also occur such as seizures, heart problems, nausea, headaches, these conditions are generally associated with decreased levels of sodium in the blood (hyponatremia) due to excessive hydration cells in the body (there is an ionic imbalance). Poisoning the water is deadly.

Thirst is controlled and regulated by a region of the brain (hypothalamus). Achieving these control centers can be the cause of the disease. These are mainly patients with mental illnesses such as

- Schizophrenia,

- Infantile neurosis (potomania youth), which is characterized by an urge to water mouthfeel

- Psychosis,

- Mental retardation,

- Hysteria

- Mania

- Bulimia ...

The potomania mainly affects people with mental disorders and imbalances.

The management of an eating disorder is long and requires patience. The diagnosis is difficult and requires the elimination of other diseases manifested by the same signs, such as diabetes or certain conditions that affect the kidneys. The potomania is attributed to psychiatric disorders when additional tests are normal, and most often, the interview with the patient leads to the discovery of other psychiatric disorders.

The treatment is mainly based on psychotherapy. The patient is often confined to a care center in order to facilitate the monitoring of behavior.