The High Price of Self-Neglect

To ignore the early warning signs is ignorance. Ignore-ance. The opposite of that ignore-ance is the simple self-supporting act of paying (as in investing) attention. Investing in ourselves, in self-care, in taking care of the little things. In doing what they tell you to on planes. That is, put your own oxygen mask on before you try and help anyone else.

Why? Because we can't help ourselves, or anyone else, if we're gasping for air. But sadly, that's exactly what many of us are doing. We're gasping for air, grabbing food to go, and snatching rest. We are ignoring the basic self-preserving, self-supportive acts that give us longevity, health, and peace of mind.

Self-neglect can be as a result of brain injury, dementia or mental illness. It can be a result of any mental or physical illness which has an effect on the person's physical abilities, energy levels, attention, organisational skills or motivation.

Neglect of hygiene is considered as part of the Global Assessment of Functioning, where it indicates the lowest level of individual functioning. It is also part of the activities of daily living criteria used to assess an individual's care needs