Diogenes’ Syndrome - Health and Gerontopsychiatric Communal Problems

Overview

The authors present the characteristic of 14 subjects (4 men and 10 women) aged 57-88 years living in Prague 3 and suffering from a pathological passion of collecting old useless objects from dustbins and to cumulate them in their homes (so-called Diogenes’ syndrome). Complaints of neighbours about lack of hygiene, unbearable stench, extreme neglect of appearance and social isolation called for official social and psychiatric intervention. All citizens keen on living in dirt and cumulating junk had to be transferred forcibly to geriatric or psychiatric institutions. From the psychiatric aspect 8 women were classified as psychotic forms of dementia, 2 men as alcohol addicts, 2 as abnormal personalities, one woman and one man as schizophrenics

Key words:
Diogenes’ syndrome - hygiene - social intervention.