NYTimes: Why Is It So Hard to Shower When I'm Depressed?

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/30/well/mind/hygeine-indifference-mental-health.html?unlocked_article_code=1.oU0.TgK9.Dw475gUxsCCy&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb

By Anna Gibbs
April 30, 2024

Q. I find many tasks challenging when I’m depressed, but showering feels especially difficult. Why is that? And what can I do about it?

If you have depression, you know how challenging everyday efforts can be.

Cooking, cleaning, socializing — all of these can feel as if you’re trudging through the mud, said Dr. Lindsay Standeven, a psychiatrist and professor at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Difficulties with grooming and hygiene are especially common with depression, she said. But because uncleanliness can be associated with laziness or even immorality, people with depression might be afraid to discuss their symptoms with their doctor. And that shame, combined with the low self-esteem possibly triggered by not bathing, can fuel depressive symptoms even further, Dr. Standeven said.

If you’re wrestling with stepping into the shower, or know someone who is, it’s important to give yourself or others grace, experts say.

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