What is hoarding ?Millions of people struggle with hoarding disorder worldwide, and unfortunately, it’s still one of the most commonly misunderstood conditions. Hoarding is not just messiness; it’s an illness that creates chaotic living spaces as well as relationships while deeply affecting someone’s quality of life. Gaining knowledge on how to help hoarders starts with understanding how their minds work and learning the importance of providing compassionate support.
What Is Hoarding?
Hoarding disorder is a serious mental health condition where people cannot part with possessions, even if those items are useless junk. If someone is considered a hoarder, having them throw something away will cause serious feelings of anxiety, distress, or grief. Many sufferers will make excuses for keeping their items due to hoarding thoughts like “what if I need this?” or “this will come in handy one day.” Some other popular excuses include items that are “too sentimental” to get rid of or “don’t fit in the dumpster.” Understanding these excuses can help you avoid yelling and kick you into caregiver mode. Much of hoarding is caused by feelings of trauma or loss, anxiety disorders, or even being OCD.
Why Is Hoarding Bad?
Someone who hoards will often experience many other struggles that follow the disorder. Depression, losing relationships, shame, and intense anxiety are common for hoarders. Trying to live your day-to-day life in such an overcrowded and stressful environment can be hard enough, but trying to function normally on top of that is overwhelming. People with hoarding disorder will commonly ask themselves, ‘Why can’t I just clean up?’ The answer: you wouldn’t be able to. Every hoarder is told they should just throw everything away and start over, but it’s not that easy. Your brain chemistry doesn’t just allow you to pick up a paint scraper and declutter your entire home in one weekend. Hoarding can cause many health risks to the occupants living in the home. Some of these include fire hazards, mold, pests, and even structural damage to the home.
How Do You Start Cleaning When You’re a Hoarder?
Cleaning as a hoarder can be overwhelming, which is why it’s important to go at your own pace. Fort Worth Hoarding Cleanup offers professional hoarding cleanup crews that specialize in helping clients move at the speed they’re comfortable with. Clients commonly ask us ‘Where do I start?’ The answer is anywhere you’d like! Start small in one corner of the room you feel most comfortable with and celebrate each time you finish a section of your home. Sort your items into categories such as keep, donate, recycle, and trash. By taking things one step at a time, you’ll never feel overwhelmed!
How Can You Be Compassionate When Cleaning a Hoarder’s Home? What is hoarding
The worst thing you can do when helping a hoarder clean is to shame them for their mistakes. Yelling at someone and calling their home dirty or disgusting will only push them farther away. When speaking to someone with hoarding disorder, try saying phrases like ‘I’m here to help you’, ‘we can do this!’, or ‘you’re not alone.’ Using positive affirmations will allow you to be compassionate while helping the hoarder make better decisions. Another way to be compassionate when helping clean is to ask open-ended questions.
Asking questions like ‘how does this piece make you feel?’ or ‘will throwing this away allow more things that you love to enter your life?’ will allow the hoarder to decide for themselves instead of you forcing them to throw something away.
How Can I Help My family Member Who Hoards? What is hoarding
If you have a family member who hoards, you may be wondering how to approach the situation without causing them any more pain. What family members of hoarders need to know is that asking the hoarder straight out to clean may lead to an argument or them shutting you out completely. Many questions run through your mind as a loved one of a hoarder. ‘How did this happen?’, ‘How can I help?’, and ‘where do I start?’ To start, you can help by listening and letting them know that you’re there for them. The last thing they need is to feel like they’re being punished for their illness. Avoid giving them ultimatums to clean and throw everything away. Learning more about hoarding will allow you to be more empathetic towards your loved one and less stressed about the situation. Check out our blog post on how family members can cope with a loved one who hoards.
Is Hoarding Considered an Illness?
Hoarding is considered a mental illness when someone has excessive anxiety when trying to part with their items. It is classified as a ‘Persistent Urge to Acquire’ disorder. Seeking professional help is one of the best steps a hoarder can take to help themselves. People often ask themselves, ‘will someone judge me if I call?’ Cognitive behavioral therapy has shown to be one of the most effective forms of therapy when it comes to treating hoarding disorder. Not only will therapy help hoarders clear the mind, but professional hoarding cleanup companies can remove years of built-up clutter for you. A hoarding cleanup company in Fort Worth can safely remove all of your unwanted items without you having to touch a single thing. Don’t wait, call them today! Your life could depend on it.