Just wondered if any of you with depression or dysthymia have trouble with keeping your homes clean? I had problems with even the most basic housekeeping all my life until a couple of months ago. It was so bad that in one place where I lived I got at least one eviction notice a year for "unsanitary conditions." (Obviously they were kind, because they always gave me the required period to "remedy the problem" and didn't use other means to force me out -- I lived there for 13 years). I was, however, thrown out by a roommate for the problem, and asked to leave a condo by the owner who went in my rental unit unexpectedly while I was at work. I cannot emphasize how bad my living conditions were.

This is one topic I haven't seen on this website, altho in years past there used to be sites like "Messies Anonymous." But I've never seen anyone seriously address the cause of it. The reason I mention it is that I moved into a new place in August (my choice, not due to eviction elsewhere). While my apartment could use a good dusting and the tub needs a scrub, it's quite neat enough that anyone could come in and be comfortable. Before this I used to live daily in absolute TERROR that someone would come in, and suddenly I'm keeping up with my dishes and my laundry just like normal people do. I was never sure if the cause was the anxiety or the depression, and I'm still anxious and intermittently depressed. So why the change?

On the few occasions I mentioned this to friends they thought I was exaggerating because I always appear clean and neat.

Has anyone else experienced this problem to such an extreme degree? Or at all? (Even among us I imagine there is still serious stigma in admitting to such a thing.)