DIOGENES SYNDROME

Diogenes syndrome is a disorder that affects, in the most of the cases, in old people that usually live alone. They feel alone and take refuge in their homes without leaving them, which leads to a total abandonment that makes the house get full of objects and rubbish, to fill the hollow they feel. We can't find this kind of disorder only in old people, because it can also be cases in young people. We can know through the different symptoms:

• Social isolation; they want to be alone.
• Don't leave home.
• They don't care hygiene.
• And others.

This syndrome makes they don't want to go out of their houses and accumulate a lot of rubbish in them. They want to live as poor people voluntarily; starts to don't care their own cleaning, and their house's cleaning. These people can have saved a lot of money and don't know that, what making keep things for no reason, including money.


Diogenes syndrome can be treated. At first, try to starts the person to care more for themselves and their houses. And then, they must have a few ways to prevent this syndrome reappears. For treatments act is needed a great social support; although the own affecteds generally don't want it. 

This illness was discovered in the 60s, thanks to a scientific project that investigated this type of conduct. The name comes from Diogenes de Sinope, a philosopher who lived very alone.

María López Vigueras