Talk:Self-neglect

The problem is that it is not just a behavioral condition, it is a social and, in cases, an organic condition. Or combinations of these and much more. It is not a psychological condition alone. It could be a symptom of a psychological condition, but not always. Mattisse 17:21, 21 November 2007 (UTC)

OMFG! How big could this article get lol, you're right. For instance in mourning or something like that?Merkinsmum (talk) 00:12, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

problem among the elderly

Most of the sources actually talk about self neglect in the elderly, which I actually was not expecting, I was thinking of it more as a mental health issue. I wasn't sure how to mention the elderly in the article without appearing ageist. Is it enough to mention that it can be related to dementia? Or should the 'elderly' be mentioned specifically? As that is what a lot of the sources are talkiing about[1] [2] [3]Merkinsmum (talk) 00:12, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

This is my take. Self-neglect is pretty much a given with certain mental disorder like schizophrenia, so much so that it isn't even listed in the diagnostic criteria. Treating the illness will automatically treat the self-neglect, except in severe, chronic cases where the skills of daily living have to be drummed in over and over. And in those cases, many professionals assume there is an organic component. In other words, it comes along with the entire package.

But in the elderly, first of all, it is not something people assume is likely to be a problem and therefore are not alert to it. Also, many elderly are much more isolated that even a young schizo person who has parents, or is getting arrested for loitering, or not having a means of support like a job etc., in other words they come to the attention of authorities for their condition. Who would know if an elderly person who rarely sees anyone is not doing the basics of hygiene and food. If you look at one of the external links at the bottom, there are graphic photos of fingernails a couple inches long, bedsores etc. This is more than just not taking a shower very frequently.

From a treatment point of view it is not an issue with the mental disorders as in the acute stage they are hospitalized or in day care. In an elderly person it would be much harder to intervene because in many cases they do not have a clearly defined mental disorder and there are no means of "making" them do anything they don't want to, unless you start getting into the legal aspects of having them declared incompetent -- which where I live is extremely hard to do. Mattisse 00:35, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

Not based on any sources, I would say the risk for self-neglect is also bigger amongst the young adults. They can have a lifestyle in which proper food, sleep and hygien are considered important. Anybody have any information about this, so we can add this to the article? Lova Falk talk 15:16, 2 December 2012 (UTC)

Asperger's Disorder

It has been my personal observation, as a clinical psychologist, that the neglect of grooming seems to be a typical feature of Asperger's Disorder, although this is not mentioned in the diagnostic criteria. This is not so much an issue of cleanliness or hygiene as it is a very obvious lack of attention to the details of personal grooming. In women, I have observed a tendency to avoid hair styles other than those which are very simple, and to completely avoid the use of make-up, eyebrow shaping, and manicured hands. These habits do not necessarily create an obvious social problem until the individual is expected to go to formal occasions or to places where one is expected to dress up, but at those times, the individual's lack of conformity to cultural norms is typically marked. Thus women with these traits tend to be subjected to negative evaluations, particularly by other women. Similar behaviors are seen in men, but since men are not expected to wear make-up, the non-conformity is less likely to draw attention, but it is still creates occasions for bullying and social exclusion.

I would like to see this discussed and attended to as a feature of Asperger's.

Of course, I may be wrong about this, as these are not research-based observations, but only my own clinical observations and impressions. Janice Vian, Ph.D. (talk) 23:56, 6 January 2016 (UTC)

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