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PerplexedPartner
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Default Jan 25, 2020 at 07:55 PM
  #1
My partner has a powerful smell, It is not awful, per se, but it can be so musty, sharp or, at times, sweet-ish that it can feel hard to breathe around him. It's most pungent from his scalp so he keeps his hair trimmed very short and also keeps all his body hair trimmed for this reason too. His clothes have to be washed separately because the whole load would come out with the scent. I recently found that an enzyme detergent can get the smell out. Before it would get so bad we'd have to toss the shirts regularly.

I tried to find info on this and learned about persimmon which cuts the 2-Nonenal that can lead to becoming pretty funky smelling as we age so thought we'd give it a try and it seems to work. I can breathe around his hair and not suffocate by his pillow case. When I was looking into body odor I came across information about it's possible links with mental illness and also read posts from people who have family members diagnosed with mental illness who have an unusual smell in keeping with how I would describe his as.

I don't know much about it and wonder how common this is. I read a claim from 1962 that schizophrenics have a unique smell due to TMHA but then it was discounted before coming full circle with renewed attention to the connection and that they also have reduced ability to smell it.

Is schizophrenia the only mental illness that can present with this?
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Default Jan 25, 2020 at 10:12 PM
  #2
Is he taking medication? Supplements? Eats certain foods? Drinks something particular? Smokes?

All of this could cause certain body odors.

I have never heard mental illness causing odor. Certain physical illness could cause odor like ketosis etc
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Default Jan 25, 2020 at 11:58 PM
  #3
I’ve never heard of someone with a mental illness smelling bad across the board like you have said your husband smells despite good hygiene

Has he been seen by Doctors to see if there is reason for his problem with body odor ??

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Default Jan 26, 2020 at 03:33 AM
  #4
I think your partner should see a doctor or a dermatologist. I have never heard of someone smelling just because of a mental illness.

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Default Jan 26, 2020 at 05:34 AM
  #5
Tmha has nothing to do with mental illness. It’s an acid produced underarms and causing smell when a person sweats. It wouldn’t explain why your husbands scalp smells or what it’s to do with mental illness.
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Default Jan 26, 2020 at 01:52 PM
  #6
This has been for his whole adult life (he's in his mid-50s now). There are many who have or heard of this even though none who have answered here have.
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Default Jan 26, 2020 at 06:43 PM
  #7
I did know a woman who was a psychiatric nurse. She mentioned to me once that meds do change a person's natural scent. It makes sense to me, because meds change our ability to sweat and such.

I have, however, noticed a strong scent on some men from their 50's on. It is not the classic "BO" smell, not at all. It's a sharp, rather suffocating scent. I have researched it some because my husband has the scent to him. He's 72, scrupulously clean, and eats the cleanest diet of anyone I know. But that smell is strong. I started noticing it about 7 years ago. He is not on any meds, but does have a decent case of OCD.

With most people (it seems to be men, in particular) the scent is some sort of hormonal thing going on. It's the "old person" smell, sadly. Many elderly people wonder why others avoid them...well, the smell might be why.

According to the research I've done, the scent I'm referring to (and maybe I'm incorrect, but it sounds like what you've described) is not a medical issue per se. It's just an endocrine thing. But in a society that places a lot of emphasis on personal scent, it can cause probs with relationships, which to me seems very sad.

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Default Jan 28, 2020 at 01:25 PM
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PerplexedPanther, this is an interesting topic. As for my response, I do think the issue should be explored by a doctor, as others have suggested. I suppose if I had this issue, I'd start with my psychiatrist and then move on to my general practitioner. There certainly could be causes of this that are totally unrelated to mental illness or its medications. The fact that your partner has had this issue almost his entire life, definitely seems to warrant a more thorough look into the matter.

I have bipolar disorder and take moodstabilizers and antipsychotics. As long as I bathe occasionally, or after sweating a lot, I think I smell OK. Neither my husband, nor anyone else has ever said I smelled, unless my self-care was very delinquent. My clothes only smell mildly IF I have worn them a number of times without washing them. I see that as normal.

I will say that odor relating to my mental illness has been noticed by my husband (beyond self care issues) ONLY when I am manic. For some reason, he says that when I am very manic that my breath becomes very foul. He's noticed this several times. We believe this has something to do with the physical changes that go on during mania. Just as some mental illness can cause gastrointestinal issues, we think that may be related to my manic breath issue. During mania, my system is in such an overdrive, that something else must be going on. During severe anxiety, I sweat more and also have gastrointestinal issues.

Another more embarrassing issue:

I believe that one of my medications (likely carbamazepine ER/Tegretol XR) affects the smell of my number 1 and number 2. There is nothing I can really do about that, particularly since it is otherwise a very good medication for me. Others here have made reference to some medications/supplements doing similar, or even affecting sweat smell. That is sort of a well-known fact. I think it may also be worth exploring if maybe particular foods might be culprits. Hormonal issue? Something else?

Last edited by Anonymous46341; Jan 28, 2020 at 01:50 PM..
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Default Jan 28, 2020 at 02:19 PM
  #9
Eating fresh herbs or taking parsley capsules may help. Good luck.
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Default Jan 29, 2020 at 11:38 AM
  #10
I noticed that when I was on Lithium I smelled metallic, but I don't know if he is on any meds.

Funny that it was mentioned about an "old person" smell when people say babies smell so nice.
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Default Feb 01, 2020 at 11:24 PM
  #11
Odd question, but have you had any dental procedures done? I had my wisdom teeth out in 2015 and I was smelling all these bizarre odors for a couple years. Sinus issues too. I had a bad one in 2018 and I had such a bad smell in my nose I thought it was me and I was freaking me out so badly until my primary told me what was going on and put me on antibiotics and a nose spray. Then it went away.

Certain seizures can cause that too.

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Default Feb 02, 2020 at 09:59 PM
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I agree with the consensus that medications and herbal supplements definitely effect the body's endocrine system and can change the way a person smells. I would chalk up your partner's body odor to medications, or a health condition. Mental illnesses don't have aromas. I have anxiety. I only smell when I don't wear deodorant. *joke*
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Default Feb 16, 2020 at 06:02 PM
  #13
It is a very distant odor, and it is not uncommon -- I have read it described many ways but there is a commonality to them all. The scent has been part of him for decades (we've been married 30 years). He kept a very lot of what his mental health issues hidden, he is very good at that. There were recognizable mania episodes that I knew of, but I did not know what they were at the time. I only came to know the truth of his history after 26 years, when he completely lost the plot and everything from his youth came out in full, and only knew he'd written a journal during one episode which occurred early in our marriage. I did not know the truth of what was going on in his mind. It has been a pretty brutal awakening on a lot of fronts for me. There is answering questions of the universe, creating elaborate formulas and solutions, a lot of new words and thoughts that almost seem sound in their phrasing but it was all madness. There was paranoia, secret agents... and I was the enemy. I did not know, I just knew the smell changed when he changed.

He has been under care and monitoring of a psychiatrist and GP for 7 years with only the diagnosis of major depression though has been on very many different antipsychotic meds including lithium. He is very quiet, filled with deep shame and highly anxious. He comes across as the most gentle, sweet man (and he mostly is just that) so they have missed the depth of his suffering. It is only now he is opening up and has written out his history which is quite dark and full of 'events'. But, after his psychiatrist read it he minimalized any mania and discounted a diagnosis given in grade one (out of date, "not an accepted diagnosis" -- it was "conduct disorder with obstructionist temperament" and his mom only told me this when my world had blown to bits.) Until they understand my husband's illness they can not give him the care he needs, and we cannot find the support we both need. They are not inclined to change their opinion and I'm having to learn a lot about human nature and the limits of thinking along with implicit bias, etc. etc. etc. For all the sweet, gentle man my husband is, he also has demonstrated that he manipulates very easily and lies through omission -- for him it's been a matter of survival. I'm trying to navigate us both through a healthcare system that has failed us both. Sorry to add too much detail there, it's been a lot to carry and I've been alone in what's been really going on which has been traumatic and isolating. I'm taking it all one day at a time, one challenge at a time. Reaching out is hard and so is all the misunderstanding still being perpetuated even in this environment. It's not due to diet, or medication, or hygiene, it is a VOC byproduct of the changes that he is going through.

"Abstract
Hundreds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted from the human body, and the components of VOCs usually reflect the metabolic condition of an individual. Therefore, contracting an infectious or metabolic disease often results in a change in body odour. Recent progresses in analytical techniques allow rapid analyses of VOCs derived from breath, blood, skin and urine. Disease-specific VOCs can be used as diagnostic olfactory biomarkers of infectious diseases, metabolic diseases, genetic disorders and other kinds of diseases. Elucidation of pathophysiological mechanisms underlying production of disease-specific VOCs may provide novel insights into therapeutic approaches for treatments for various diseases. This review summarizes the current knowledge on chemical and clinical aspects of body-derived VOCs, and provides a brief outlook at the future of olfactory diagnosis."

(I can't post a link but you can find the above abstract at Oxford Academic's Journal of Biochemistry "The scent of disease: volatile organic compounds of the human body related to disease and disorder")

Anyway, to help anyone who comes across this and is experiencing the odors, here's what's helped with that part so far: We've recently switched to persimmon soap and tea tree oil shampoo which have both helped considerably. He is showering now every second day so the odor doesn't build up. We also switched to enzymatic wash detergent and his clothes are coming out clean now which is great because the scent thickly permeated the clothes. The heaviest odor has always emanated from his head and he keeps his hair closely groomed at about 1/2" length. I also read about the Nonenal issues that can arise with age (which is how I learned about the persimmon benefits).
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Default Feb 17, 2020 at 02:39 AM
  #14
Why doesnt he shower daily ? It literally takes just a few minutes to lather up and rinse off.

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Default Feb 21, 2020 at 08:03 AM
  #15
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Originally Posted by divine1966 View Post
Is he taking medication? Supplements? Eats certain foods? Drinks something particular? Smokes?

All of this could cause certain body odors.

I have never heard mental illness causing odor. Certain physical illness could cause odor like ketosis etc


WEll for me, I use to get a sick,vomit smell from me-if I didn't wash ..If I eat during a manic episode I can get very ill and sometimes smell of vomit.

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Default Feb 22, 2020 at 09:01 AM
  #16
Why doesn’t he shower every day? I smell if I don’t shower daily and my husband for sure would smell bad as he is a big guy. I wonder if all these smells are at least partially due to not washing regularly.
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Default Feb 22, 2020 at 09:51 AM
  #17
Does your partner hang around people who smoke dope? Dope smokers smell like hell. Not sure why your partner isn't bathing every day. To be considerate he should. You can change his pillow case every day too. Are you getting help for your own mental health?
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Default Feb 23, 2020 at 06:13 PM
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If showering every other day is an improvement then clearly he was showering even less frequently before.

People with no mental illness will smell bad if not washing up. So it doesn’t sound like mental illness is to blame, but even if let’s say it’s, I see no need to build up unpleasant smells.

Daily showers, daily change of clothes, and possibly regular change of sheets/pillow cases might solve your issue. Whatever causes the smell, cleanliness should help to fix it
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Default Feb 23, 2020 at 06:14 PM
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Originally Posted by IceCreamKid View Post
Does your partner hang around people who smoke dope? Dope smokers smell like hell. Not sure why your partner isn't bathing every day. To be considerate he should. You can change his pillow case every day too. Are you getting help for your own mental health?
I have hard time tolerating smell of pot. It smells so rotten to me.
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