Struggling with Oral Hygiene Due to Mental Health Conditions

I relate a lot to your situation. Although now I brush 2x, floss, and use fluoride treatment daily, I have to do all of that because I was mentally unable to brush my teeth for about three months. Going on Strattera really helped me, since it’s a non stimulant ADHD medication, I didn’t have the ‘crash and burn’ that amphetamines gave me. It’s a combination of the 24/7 medication, being in a better mental state than I was 6 years ago, and a healthy amount of fear that drives me to keep up my hygiene. I was told that I pretty much have a cavity in every single gap between my teeth, worsened by the fact that I had braces when I was unable to maintain my hygiene. This is an important part of health that is hard to stay motivated doing if you are unsure about the meaning/ trajectory of your life.

I totally get this. One of the first things to go whenever I’m overwhelmed or going through a depressive episode is my physical health, and that can be a huge source of shame for me. Something I try to do during these periods is talk to myself like I would a kid, essentially being like “okay, we have to brush our teeth for a little bit, you can manage 30 seconds” and then mentally trying to convince myself that I should be proud of any effort I’ve made rather than ashamed that I haven’t done enough.