Diogenes symptom complex R46.0

Socially reclusive elderly people, mostly living alone, who extremely neglect nutrition, personal hygiene and housekeeping and are admitted to hospitals or geriatric special institutions, often as an emergency, in a desolate condition due to intercurrent infections or after falls. Premorbid often professionally and socially well integrated to successful. Little insight into one's own situation and the resulting self-endangerment. Unstable personality structure; fearful to aggressive, suspicious to paranoid. Frequently secondary damage such as hypovitaminosis, hypoproteinemia, exsicctic, ichthyotic skin changes, pyoderma or chronic mycotic diseases, nummular eczema.

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5. Seals PB (1991) Self-neglect in the elderly - the homeless and the Diogenes syndrome. Tijdschr Gerontol Geriatric 22: 167-171