Mental Health and Hygiene


As the stigma surrounding mental health lessens, there is more being done now to

understand and recognize these illnesses than ever before. Most people that have a

form of depression cannot recognize the symptoms right away, or even deny the

diagnosis until their feelings of loneliness overwhelm them. The direct correlation

between mental health and hygiene has been greatly overlooked, many people are

labeled as “lazy” or “dirty” when in reality the disease is debilitating. Adolescents may

not have the vocabulary to describe how distressed they are, many don’t even know

what depression is yet. If the signs and symptoms of depression are acknowledged

early on, there is a greater chance of getting effective treatment. 

Depression does not discriminate based on gender or age, despite people associating it

with something only teen girls experience. In reality, about 10-20% of adolescents are

impacted by mental health disorders worldwide, a majority of them being undiagnosed

and therefore not getting proper treatment. The one factor that does seem to have a

real impact on mental health is wealth, with low-income countries not having as much

access to mental health resources their youth are facing higher rates of depression.

This can be observed through their hygiene and how well they take care of themselves,

poor mental health has been associated with unhygienic tendencies. Boys and girls

alike, those reporting symptoms of depression are also the ones who are found to be

twice as likely to not brush their teeth daily or wash their hands after using the

bathroom. Unhygienic practices can lead to the mental disorder becoming physical, with

higher risks of diarrhea, infection, or even death. Early detection of mental health

disorders can be managed with treatments like behavioral therapy, drugs, and

counseling. Unfortunately, in low-income countries, these resources may not be as

widely available or stigmatized causing the depression to manifest through adulthood. 

The mental health crisis is not growing, it is only just becoming less stigmatized and

easier to recognize. Teachers and parents are becoming more observant and less

critical of children, they are the ones who will recognize the depression before any child

ever could. Allowing unhygienic practices to continue will eventually lead to a self-image

issues and could cause isolation that will fuel the depression. 

Alanna Richards (3)

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876034115002099

Comments

  1. Chloe FriaryOctober 5, 2022 at 2:22 PM

    Hi Alanna, I really liked your post. I think mental health is such a prevalent issue in society today that some people are just starting to open their eyes up to. I think it is especially hard being younger and not being able to recognize what you are going through until it becomes too overwhelming to handle. Do you have any advice you would give to parents with a child suffering from this problem so they can approach them in a more comforting way?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AlannaOctober 6, 2022 at 10:06 AM

      I think the best advice is to not blame your child when they are feeling depressed. A lot of parents will give excuses as to why their children should not feel depressed and get upset when they don't want to shower and clean their rooms. The best thing to do is let them know you still love them and will be there for them even during dark times.

      Delete
  2. Owen BradleyOctober 5, 2022 at 6:29 PM

    It makes sense that mental illness is linked with hygiene. If you barely have the energy and motivation to get out of bed, you probably don't have the energy or motivation to do much, including taking care of your hygiene. As someone with depression it can be hard to get myself to do anything. It's good to finally see people's views on mental illness change but we still have a long way to go. Why do you think mental illness was stigmatized for so long?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AlannaOctober 6, 2022 at 10:14 AM

      I believe mental illness has been stigmatized so long because there was always a lack of understanding of what it really is. There was no study into how the imbalance of chemicals can affect ones brain and so society would just label you "crazy". The inability to see the illness like you would with a physical illness prompts people to not believe it is as serious.

      Delete
  3. Elizabeth HardyOctober 5, 2022 at 7:31 PM

    I have heard that depression causes hygiene issues. On social media, I have seen many people working to destigmatize the disease. It can manifest in so many harmful ways, including not cleaning your room for months. In terms of biology, are some people more likely to get depression? As in, could someone be genetically predisposed to depression? Does biology have an impact on how clean someone is when depressed?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AlannaOctober 6, 2022 at 10:42 AM

      Depression actually has a heritability of around 50% and could even be higher for severe depression. Around half of depression cases could be contributed to genetics and half to unrelated outside factors.

      Delete
  4. Victoria FlynnOctober 5, 2022 at 8:01 PM

    This is a very interesting topic; depression and mental health as a whole need to be destigmatized as it is far too common to be considered taboo. The correlation between hygiene and mental health makes sense as I can't imagine low income individuals would be happy with their situation. Moreso, I believe that your blog just emphasizes how simple necessities such the ability to wash your hands or brush your teeth should be a given. I believe this arises the point that with the growing mental health awareness, the stand of living can so easily and drastically improve a person's life mentally and physically. In what other ways do you think society or the government could improve the mental health of individuals?

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousOctober 11, 2022 at 12:07 PM

    This topic is so important to hear about and should be more widespread! Mental health issues are extremely significant and prevalent. The correlation between mental health issues and hygiene makes sense and should be talked about more often. More people than we think suffer from depression and other mental health issues. I wonder if there are ways we can offer more support and help to those that might need it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousOctober 11, 2022 at 12:07 PM

      ^ comment was made by Sneha Magesh

      Delete
  6. Victoria LeongOctober 12, 2022 at 6:53 PM

    Hi Alanna!
    I am really glad that the stigma around talking about mental health has lessened so much that we are more freely able to talk about the issues that surrounds it as well. I really hope there can be more progress in openly talking about these issues without fear of judgement in the future. Judgement from others can influence one's self esteem greatly, which can have a cascade effect towards not taking care of yourself or your surroundings. If we can understand that, I hope we can see more open support of mental health in the future.

    ReplyDelete

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