NAMIKENOSHA.org - Providing Support, Education, and Advocacy since 1983
NAMI Kenosha County
  • HOME
    • JOIN
    • DONATE
    • The Board - About Us
    • Affiliate Certification, By-Laws & Budget
    • History
    • Newsletter
  • SUPPORT
    • I NEED HELP - CRISIS NUMBER
    • CRISIS CONTACTS - Kenosha County
    • Local Area Services >
      • Rogers Memorial Hospital - Outpatient/Partial Inpatient
      • KHDS - Information Please!
      • Counseling Services in Kenosha
      • Kenosha Community Resource Booklet
      • Kenosha County Grief Guide
      • Kenosha Mental Health Guide
      • YMCA Program
      • Telepsychiatry
    • Inpatient Hospitals
    • National Crisis Hotlines >
      • Crisis Guide and Resources
    • Drug and Alcohol Addiction Local Support >
      • Substance Abuse Treatment help for Kenosha County
      • Rehab Accreditation
      • Kenosha County Opioid Task Force
      • Addiction is a Family Disease
      • NARCAN (Naloxone)
    • Online Support Resources
    • Bridges
    • Students
    • Suicide Prevention & Grief Support
    • Caregivers & Parents
    • Veterans
    • Mental Health Providers and Services
    • Physician Mental Health
    • Oxford House
    • Finding A Therapist
    • Law Enforcement
    • Faith Leaders
    • Psychiatric Service Dogs
    • Equine Therapy
    • NAMI AIR app
    • Holiday Blues
    • Cooling Centers
  • EDUCATION
    • RESOURCE LINKS >
      • Magazine List
      • Book List
      • Movie List
      • Documentary List
      • Music List
    • Family To Family
    • NAMI Basics
    • Ending The Silence
    • In Our Own Voice >
      • Voices of Recovery
    • CIP/CIT >
      • CIP/CIT Class Presentations
      • CIP/CIT Supplemental Class Materials
      • SAMHSA's GAIN CENTER
    • Homefront Classes
    • What is Mental Illness? >
      • Addiction and Dual Diagnosis
      • ADHD
      • ​Anosognosia
      • Anxiety Disorder
      • Bereavement/Grief, Anxiety and Depression
      • Bipolar Disorder
      • Borderline Personality Disorder
      • Children and Adolescents
      • Depression
      • Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder
      • Dissociative Disorder
      • Eating Disorders
      • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
      • Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) / Conduct Disorder (CD)
      • PANS & PANDA Disorder
      • Pregnancy and Postpartum Depression
      • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
      • Early Psychosis and Psychosis
      • Schizoaffective Disorder
      • Schizophrenia
      • Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
      • Self Harm
      • Serious Mental Illness (SMI)
      • Hygiene and Mental Illness
      • Sleep and Mental Health
      • Tardive Dyskinesia
    • Death, Traumas, Disasters & Mental Health
    • Testing for Mental Illness
    • Mental Illness Dictionary
    • Mental Health Medication
    • Medication Withdrawal
    • Medications and Summer Heat Risks
    • Mood and The Pill
    • Benefits of Exercise
    • Alternative Treatments
    • Diet and Mental Health
    • Supplement, Food, Marijuana & Herb Interactions with Medication
    • Drug Duration in the Body
    • Certified Peer Specialist Training
    • Famous People with Mental Issues
    • Popular in Social Media
  • ADVOCACY
    • Mental Health System: Kenosha County, Wisconsin >
      • Kenosha County Treatment Court
      • Kenosha County Behavioral Health Jail Diversion Program
      • Kenosha County Family Treatment Court
      • Veteran Treatment Court
      • Criminal Justice System
    • Chapter 51: Mental Commitments
    • Chapter 55: Protective Service
    • Workplace Mental Health
    • Health Insurance and Medicaid
    • Medicare
    • Psychiatric Advanced Directive
    • Research
    • Kenosha In The News
    • Local Heroes
    • STIGMA
    • Voting Rights
    • Policy and Issues
    • Government Shutdown
    • Get Involved
    • Mass Shootings and Violence
    • Voices in Action
    • Legislation >
      • S. 2661 988 Suicide Hotline
      • AB693 – Teacher Protection Act
      • HR 2792
      • Protect Medicaid
      • AHCA
      • H.R. 2646, Families in Mental Health Crisis Act
      • S2680, the Mental Health Reform Act of 2016
    • NAMI Smarts
    • NAMI 100 Women
  • EVENTS
    • Annual Vigil

Hygiene and Mental Illness

​Poor hygiene can be a sign of self-neglect, which is the inability or unwillingness to attend to one's personal needs. Poor hygiene often accompanies certain mental or emotional disorders, including severe depression and psychotic disorders.

Poor personal hygiene, such as failing to regularly wash, use deodorant, change clothes, and brush teeth, can be one of the first signs a person has a mental illness. This deterioration can stem from a general apathy or lack of motivation and disorganization—symptoms of the illness.
Yes, Mental Illness Can Impact Your Hygiene. Here’s What You Can Do About It
www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/mental-illness-can-impact-hygiene#Why-is-it-so-hard-to-brush-my-teeth-or-shower?
Poor oral hygiene in the mentally ill: Be aware of the problem, and intervene
www.mdedge.com/psychiatry/article/83308/somatic-disorders/poor-oral-hygiene-mentally-ill-be-aware-problem-and
Poor oral health is common among mentally ill people and is related to inadequate nutrition, poor self-care, substance abuse, and medication side effects. Poor oral hygiene is a significant problem because it results in dental pathol­ogy that has an adverse influence on the whole body.

Drug abuse facilitates dental diseases, as evidenced by the high rate of caries among methamphetamine users. The drug induces xerostomia, encouraging users to drink sweetened beverages; this, combined with limited oral care, results in profound dental decay (“meth mouth”). Oral cocaine users often exhibit dental ero­sions or abrasions, gingival lacerations or necrosis, and mucosal lesions. Smoking Cannabis is associated with an increased rate of gingivitis, alveolar bone loss, leu­koplakia, and oral papilloma or other can­cers.5 Heroin users are at increased risk of tooth decay, periodontal disease, and oral infection.

Alcohol consumption increases the risk of oral cancer. Long-term alcohol use sup­presses bone marrow function, causing leukopenia and resulting in immunosup­pression and an increased incidence of dental infections.6 Excessive alcohol con­sumption also can cause thrombocytope­nia and bleeding, which can complicate dental procedures.

Smoking cigarettes increases the inci­dence of periodontal disease, especially necrotizing gingivitis and candidiasis.7 Ninety percent of patients with schizo­phrenia smoke—compared with up to 70% of patients with other psychiatric disor­ders, and 19% of the general population. Physiologic aspects of schizophrenia rein­force the smoking habit.7

Psychiatric disorders are strongly associated with diabetes, obe­sity, hypertension, stroke, heart disease, and arthritis, all of which contribute to oral pathology. Older age, greater dysfunction, longer duration of illness, and smoking are predictors of adverse dental outcomes.

Anxiety, depression, stress—all of these these disorders increase the circulating level of cortisol, thus raising the risk that peri­odontal disease will progress. Periodontitis increases the risk of stroke and heart attack by accelerating atherosclerotic plaque for­mation. Depression, anxiety, and substance abuse can lead to temporomandibular disor­ders that cause pain and restrict jaw move­ment.11 Stressed patients may experience muscle tension and bruxism, which can lead to temporomandibular joint discomfort. Atypical odontalgia, characterized by chronic, burning pain in teeth and gums, is associated with depression and anxiety. Misdiagnosis can result in extractions or procedures without an appropriate indica­tion and failure to alleviate the pain.

Eating disorders. Patients who induce vomiting may exhibit enamel erosions (especially on the anterior maxillary teeth), increased tooth hypersensitivity, decay, and wear on dental restorative work.

Medication side effects. Xerostomia can increase the risk for caries, periodontal disease, and oral infections such as candi­diasis, glossitis, stomatitis, and parotitis. Extrapyramidal side effects (tardive dyski­nesia, dystonia) may cause tooth damage and make managing dentures difficult.

Additional Dentistry information can be found at: www.newmouth.com/
Proudly powered by Weebly