[elevatedsoul]

is poor hygiene a symptom of bipolar?
even when you are "stable"?
i can't muster up the strength to take care of myself
i made myself shave today atleast...

[CopperStar]

My hygiene has always tanked hardcore during depression-heavy mixed episodes. Like I'm talking not showering for two weeks, rarely brushing my teeth and wearing dirty, stinky clothes for weeks on end without doing any laundry. My living space will also usually become a disgusting disaster area, trash and dirty dishes everywhere.

Best way I can describe it, is that my mind gets so chaotic, loud and horrific that I get sucked into my own mind, and it becomes increasingly difficult to connect with the 'outside' world. I quit even noticing my hygiene, it quits registering on my awareness, to the point that I can smell awful and not even notice. At most, I might occasionally have a moment where I realize just how gross I am, feel humiliated and ashamed for 10 seconds and then get sucked right back into my hellhole of a brain.

[ensconce]

Yea I am like this, I only shave when I have to so I look like a mess all the time. I get stuff on my shirt and I still don't take it off for a long time. It gets worse when I am depressed, when I am manic I think I am more clean since I shower very often and rearrange stuff and throw away trash.

Yes, when I'm depressed and during dysphoric mania, my hygiene goes in the toilet. My house in shambles. When manic, I start tons of craft projects and have stuff everywhere. Then I crash, and the stuff remains, and more stuff accumulates until I'm well.

I have physical issues and chronic pain. Showering is painful for me. I have extreme temperature intolerances and I either get out of the shower sweating profusely, or I'm shivering and in so much pain I can hardly stand it. So now my hygiene isn't the greatest, even when stable. But I'm able to push through the pain, much easier when stable, so my hygiene does improve greatly.

Are you sure you are stable when your hygiene is off? Are you sure you're not still borderline depressed?

[elevatedsoul]

i dont know if im stable or not... looking at all the things i do (drinking, craving drugs, trying to avoid sleep, poor hygiene being a big one, not eating properly, ect ect ect)
makes me think that im not as stable as i think i am

[Crazy Hitch]

Yes when depressed definitely there are many people who can barely get out of bed for the day yet alone hit the shower or the bath.

When I'm depressed I'm in "who cares" mode.

When I'm not depressed though I'm fine with the hygenie factor, probably over doing it at the best of times, sometimes.

[elevatedsoul]

its humiliating sometimes,
i dont want to think what others think of me when i wear the same clothes for a week straight
why am i like this? maybe im still miserable but im so out of my mind that i dont know it...
going without my pot....
pot is whats kept me from getting into any trouble since i was 13 years old...

everything you have mentioned is a sign of depression. Sometimes when I'm depressed, I just feel like I'm a lazy loser and nothing is wrong with me other than that. It's a self-esteem thing that goes along with being depressed.

I know what you mean about it being embarrassing. Sometimes I feel so disgusting about myself, yet still can't get up and shower. It's ridiculous.

I hope you begin to feel better soon. Whether you're depressed or dealing with something else. (((HUGS)))

Poor hygiene never used to be a problem at the beginning of my illness. As life has progressed and my BP has got worse, my hygiene has got worse. I brush my teeth everyday, only really bad days it doesnt get done. I shower once a week in bad times, I wash my clothes once a week. I find if everything is clean at once, me, clothes, towels, sheets ect I will stay in a good hygiene routine. When I am well it is no problem but when I am unstable it is hard. If I am going up (manic) I tend to go overboard with the good hygiene - showers and bed making multiply times a day, cleaning the house etc. The house suffers when I am unwell. Not helped by the cops breaking my door and some animal living in the house and eating my skirting boards now.

[Nammu]

Originally Posted by elevatedsoul

i dont know if im stable or not... looking at all the things i do (drinking, craving drugs, trying to avoid sleep, poor hygiene being a big one, not eating properly, ect ect ect)
makes me think that im not as stable as i think i am

Doesn't sound as if you're stable.

When I'm not stable I just retreat from the world staying in bed in the same clothes the same sheets for a long time I don't bother canceling appointments, that's too much work. If I'm mixed I'll do just about anything to feel better including drinking which is unusual because normally I can't stand the smell. Hypo manic I'm really high functioning so it's not a problem. But yeah I've been there, check out the thread on bathing, not bathing. Lots of company here.

[Standup2me]

Yes, I have gone seven days without having a shower, or changing into clean clothes
Getting wet is too much work
Too hard

i only bother with hygiene when it['s absolutely essential.

i don't see the motivation to make myself look like i've just exited a beauty shop every day, when 9 times out of 10- not only am i not going anywhere- seeing anyone, but you'll have to do it again tomorrow anyway.

on a side note, i really can't stand clean surfaces

i just ghave to wonder past and it makes me sick to think that all the marks/ what ever else is their have been taken away

[meganb22]

In my depressive episodes, I usually don't give a crap if I don't shower and I stink. I can literally go out to the grocery store in stained clothes and an outfit that looks horrible. I just don't care. Which says something because I am very self-conscious and don't like the way I look. Sometimes it feels like a blessing not to have to worry about hygiene.

[Standup2me]

Yes, yes, yes. I hate showering, and getting a haircut is torture
I once went two weeks without a shower and only had one because bf pushed me into the
shower fully dressed

[~Christina]

I went through a really ugly nasty episode years ago and I let my hygiene just go to hell. Once I started coming back to life and I realized just how long I was going between showers and changing clothes and stuff it made me feel physically sick ...

So I made myself a law, I shower every day no matter what.. I'll certainly skip shaving my legs.. But the actual shower? Nope it is a daily thing regardless.. I timed it way back when and I can undress, shower and be in clean clothes in less than 7 mins. I can find 7 mins a day no matter how awful I am feeling.

It just makes me feel better even if its just a lil bit in the moment.

[wiretwister]

not really the same thing but I am pretty stable now,, shower every day ... the weekend then nothing gets done ... my motivation is keeping my job during the week ... but other than that nothing matters ...

[youngm357]

Fortunately for me I am also OCD and rarely miss a shower or meds. There are so many symptoms and indicators for various disorders that we don't all fit in the same box

Originally Posted by youngm357

Fortunately for me I am also OCD and rarely miss a shower or meds. There are so many symptoms and indicators for various disorders that we don't all fit in the same box

I have OCD but not that type. My ocd shows me the glass shower partition smashing and cutting me up all over. My ocd shows razors coming out of the shower head - even though they arnt razors they feel like it. My ocd makes me think I will get electrocuted every time I touch the taps, I see my fried body in the shower.

[CopperStar]

Originally Posted by Supanova

I have OCD but not that type. My ocd shows me the glass shower partition smashing and cutting me up all over. My ocd shows razors coming out of the shower head - even though they arnt razors they feel like it. My ocd makes me think I will get electrocuted every time I touch the taps, I see my fried body in the shower.

The more I see people giving examples like this, the more I am starting to think I actually have OCD, as well. I grew up with the notion of OCD that it's about repetitive ritual, having to have everything in order, etc. It's only been really recently that I've started to wonder if my intrusive anxious thoughts are actually OCD-related. I usually see myself getting attacked by objects, or terrible things happening to people/animals I love. I will have a physiological reaction to the thoughts as though they are real, too, that's the worst part.

Originally Posted by ~Christina

I went through a really ugly nasty episode years ago and I let my hygiene just go to hell. Once I started coming back to life and I realized just how long I was going between showers and changing clothes and stuff it made me feel physically sick ...

So I made myself a law, I shower every day no matter what.. I'll certainly skip shaving my legs.. But the actual shower? Nope it is a daily thing regardless.. I timed it way back when and I can undress, shower and be in clean clothes in less than 7 mins. I can find 7 mins a day no matter how awful I am feeling.

It just makes me feel better even if its just a lil bit in the moment.

what a great goal that is.
seriously, that takes some motivation

how are you doing with it?

[elin95]

I am not bipolar but I had severe depression back in 2010. I sometimes did not shower for a week, wore the same shirt like 7 times, no teeth brushing and greasy hair. It was horrible. I still remember when my school counselor took me apart and said that I basically looked horrible(just in different words) I was so ashamed , I was just 14 yrs old and i did not realise it at all.

Now my hygiene is perfectly fine. Shower every day , just do everything I need to do.

[SillyKitty]

I def I am depressed, but even when I'm "fine" I still lack motivation. I'm not going anywhere, so why bother? It can get embarrassing.

[gina_re]

I haven't showered in a few days, and the fact that I telecommute most of the work week doesn't help.