Pavlou and Lachs reported a definition for self-neglect. The authors are from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.
Criteria for self-neglect - one or more of the following:
(1) persistent inattention to personal hygiene and/or environment
(2) repeated refusal of some or all indicated services which can reasonably be expected to improve the person's quality of life
(3) self-endangerment through unsafe behaviors (creating a fire hazard in the home, persistent refusal to care for a wound, etc)
