Geriatric psychiatry: Diogenes syndrome: practice question

A Psychiatry question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Psychiatry · Geriatric psychiatry: Diogenes syndrome

Sample item

A 78-year-old widower living alone in a filthy house with accumulated rubbish, severe self-neglect and refusal of help, who shows no shame, has

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

D. Diogenes syndrome (senile squalor syndrome)

Diogenes syndrome is characterised by extreme self-neglect, domestic squalor, hoarding, social withdrawal and lack of shame, in older people with frontal dysfunction, dementia, personality traits or psychiatric illness. Assessment and the least restrictive care is needed. Insight and consent should be assessed under the Act.

Option by option

  • A. Delirium tremens

    Delirium tremens is an alcohol withdrawal state.

  • B. Panic disorder

    Panic disorder involves discrete anxiety attacks.

  • C. Obsessive-compulsive disorder

    OCD hoarding involves distress about discarding and not an absence of shame.

  • D. Diogenes syndrome (senile squalor syndrome) (correct)

    Correct. Extreme self-neglect with squalor and refusal of help is Diogenes syndrome.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Psychiatry question

What is the answer to this Psychiatry question?

The best answer is D, Diogenes syndrome (senile squalor syndrome). Diogenes syndrome is characterised by extreme self-neglect, domestic squalor, hoarding, social withdrawal and lack of shame, in older people with frontal dysfunction, dementia, personality traits or psychiatric illness.

Why is "Delirium tremens" not the answer?

Delirium tremens is an alcohol withdrawal state.

Why is "Panic disorder" not the answer?

Panic disorder involves discrete anxiety attacks.

Why is "Obsessive-compulsive disorder" not the answer?

OCD hoarding involves distress about discarding and not an absence of shame.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Geriatric psychiatry: Diogenes syndrome in Psychiatry. Assessment and the least restrictive care is needed. Insight and consent should be assessed under the Act.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Geriatric psychiatry: Diogenes syndrome?

Learn each diagnosis by its core features and its first-line treatment. Then use the flashcards and the other Psychiatry questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.