![]() ![]() Home visits play a key role in the early detection of this condition. Severe isolation associated with Diogenes syndrome and a life on the margins of society, make detection difficult in these situations. This increases the responsibility of the family and the health care system. This is clear when a decrease in the functional capacity of the elderly prevents self-care. ![]() Comment: With the aging of the population there is a growing need for care of the elderly. A court order was obtained for psychiatric assessment. Evaluation by a social worker was requested but the patient refused her entry into her home. An accumulation of objects and waste was found in the patient's home. A home visit was arranged to assess her living conditions. She was brought for the first time to a consultation by a neighbour, who stated that the patient was living in a house with poor hygienic conditions. No relevant medical or surgical history was obtained. Clinical case: We present the case of a 78 year-old single female with a fourth grade education, living alone since her sister's death, three years previously. Research on this syndrome is scarce but one third to one half of affected individuals show no concomitant psychiatric disorders. Introduction: The Diogenes syndrome is a behavior disorder of the elderly characterized by the rejection of social patterns, poor personal hygiene, progressive social isolation, and impaired judgment, associated with the accumulation of objects and trash. Furthermore, creating an agreed-upon constellation of symptoms representative of Diogenes is essential to creating a formal Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) entry, which would facilitate the much-needed development of assessment measures to enable accurate diagnosis and treatment. This case report provides a rare opportunity to better understand the distinction of Diogenes syndrome from the closely related condition hoarding disorder. Diogenes syndrome is highly comorbid with psychiatric and somatic disorders, including depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, personality disorder, and stress. He was found lying nude on top of garbage with a rug over him. His home was covered in several feet of rubbish, rotting food, and debris and smelled intensely of rotting mould, urine, and faeces. Police officers attended the man’s home following the alarm being raised by his stepfather that he had not been seen or heard from in 3 weeks. This report presents a case of a 51-year-old male admitted to the hospital psychiatric ward following the police removing him from his home. “Severe domestic squalor” or Diogenes syndrome is characterised by extreme self-neglect of environment, health, and hygiene, excessive hoarding, squalor, social withdrawal, and a distinct lack of concern or shame regarding one’s living condition.
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