Hoarding and anti-social behavior do not necessarily mean that the senior does not have capacity. A senior has the right to make choices, even bad ones like sleeping on top of a pile of garbage in the bedroom. In an extreme case, you might seek an involuntary mental-health commitment or a guardianship.Īdult protective services workers know that these are difficult cases. Nonethless, sometimes the home conditions are so dangerous that you don’t have a real choice. Statistically, Diogenes syndrome sufferers are at a much greater risk of dying if they are placed in an institution. The goal of treatment is to have the senior remain is his or her home. There are some medications that can be prescribed, but the common ones address just one symptom of the disorder – for example, zopidem for sleep, paroxetine for hoarding, and quetiapine for bipolar disorders. You could bring a geriatric care manager in to consult, or set up a flexible outpatient treatment that includes counseling and cleaning services. Many of the symptoms of Diogenes syndrome could be related to a treatable medical condition. A full physical exam, including blood tests, should be completed, and the doctor could administer cognitive testing. If you can establish a good rapport then you may be able to induce the senior to go to a good doctor. So how can you help a senior whom you suspect suffers from Diogenes syndrome? The successful approach is not simple, primarily because most sufferers are extremely resistant to any type of help. People with Diogenes syndrome suffer an increased death rate – over 46% will die within 5 years, usually from physical illnesses resulting from living in squalor and self-neglect. It is difficult to treat because the sufferers often deny that a problem exists and refuse help.ĭiogenes syndrome can be fatal. There is no one grouping of symptoms that leads to a clear diagnosis.ĭiogenes syndrome is often associated with other mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, mania, and frontotemporal dementia. The sufferers tend to be of average or above-average intelligence and will not admit, and may not even recognize, that there is anything wrong. Nonetheless, you may find it difficult to identify a person suffering from Diogenes syndrome. ![]() People with the syndrome become isolated, unkempt, are often foul-smelling and avoid medical care, leading to a host of untreated medical conditions. Think 100 cats kept in a 2-bedroom house, stacks of papers to the ceiling that make hallways impassable, rooms full of garbage, or compulsive buying of unneeded items that accumulate on every horizontal space. It is characterized by squalor in the home, hoarding and extreme self-neglect. It is a particularly unpleasant behavioral disorder whose sufferers are often elderly.ĭiogenes syndrome is hoarding on steroids. Allow me to introduce you to Diogenes syndrome.
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