Mental illness not just affects how a person feels but it sweeps into many aspects of your day-to-day life. Personal hygiene is one such aspect which is poorly affected by mental illnesses and is less talked about owing to the stigma associated with it. People developing mental disorders like anxiety, depression and others struggle in maintaining personal hygiene and might find it challenging to follow simple hygiene practices like brushing their teeth and bathing. Many won’t even share this with their therapist for fear of embarrassment or shame.
As per many experts, these mundane and small lifestyle changes are a powerful indicator of the person going through some psychological challenges and can indicate mental illness much before it might show in the person’s behaviour. Practising hygiene is important to fight diseases and maintain optimum health. However, hygiene has a social aspect to it and the lack of it might be associated with poverty and laziness. This makes it hard for the patients to open up for help.
What causes us to give up on hygiene practices?
Conditions like depression and fatigue can come with fatigue and physical pains that make it hard for the person to follow a routine and this can make them miss simple hygiene practices. People affected by mental illness can struggle with basic hygiene tasks like showering, washing their hands, brushing their teeth, washing clothes and brushing their hair.
As per quoted experts, most patients complain of lacking the energy to do these basic tasks and other family members might remind them to do them. As per experts, a condition like depression is characterized by a diminished interest in day-to-day activities due to a lack of or reduced motivation. This might also result in people not being able to maintain personal hygiene. For people affected by severe mental illness, doing these basic practices can become a monumental task.
As per experts, if there are physical pains involved then routine bathing can feel uncomfortable to these patients.
As per studies, individuals with mental illnesses are more likely than those without them to have suboptimal oral health. Depressive symptoms, lack of motivation, the feeling of worthlessness, and fatigue might adversely affect adults’ behaviour related to oral health maintenance. A greater risk of dental decay and tooth loss can lead to social isolation, low self-esteem and reduced quality of life. This can also lead to poor health outcomes.
It can happen another way around
Mental illness can affect people differently. While it might be true that many individuals will struggle with being optimally hygienic, others might find themselves on the opposite spectrum. People suffering from conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and health anxiety can be germ phobic and can engage in activities that involve an excessive focus on cleanliness and hygiene like washing hands or brushing teeth multiple times a day. They might have to do cleaning rituals repeatedly to feel all right. Some can become too conscious of how they appear and might engage in changing clothes frequently in a day. Many sexual assault victims might report repetitive bathing rituals that they engage in to reduce stress and anxiety related to the traumatic experience.
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