Towards a Definition of "Self-Neglect" in Psychiatric Patients: Descriptions of a Case Series
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Updated: Mar 14, 2026

Assessment of Dependence in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Patients in an Acute Care Unit
Published on: September 30, 2020
Joanna Lamkin1, Phuong T Nguyen2, John H Coverdale1
1Baylor Psychiatry Clinic, Jamail Specialty Care Center, Baylor College of Medicine, 1977 Butler Blvd, 4th Floor, Suite E4.100, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
Abstract:
Self-neglect, although frequently studied in geriatric populations, has received only limited attention in psychiatric populations. To address this gap, we utilize a behavioral framework to present a set of case examples in order to illustrate the complex relationship between self-neglect behaviors and conditions and various psychiatric illness. Cases are discussed with respect to ascending severity of presentations of self-neglect in adult non-geriatric inpatient psychiatric populations. Self-neglect is conceptualized as a range of behaviors, as well as an overall condition that affects an individual's functioning in several major domains. The concept of self-neglect in non-geriatric psychiatric patients warrants additional study, including development of a formal definition, as well as evaluation of its associated manifestations and implications for treatment and prognosis.
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