Have you been reported by a neighbor or threatened with the
police as your property and grounds present a health and fire hazard to others?
Is it hard for you to part with things? Is every little gift and item from
family and friends stuffed in a drawer somewhere over the years until there is
no more space in your house and you are a victim of your own illness? Hoarding
is an illness. Do you want to change your behavior and not be a victim? It is
not an easy disorder to overcome, but with time and treatment it can be done.
Excessive collection
of items over the years
According to the Mayo Clinic most victims do not accept the
fact that they are hoarders and do not believe that there is anything the
matter with them and that their behavior is normal. They cry and have anxiety
when you suggest that excessive hoarding is a disorder and that they need
treatment. Usually they have collected an excessive amount of items over the
years and are unable to give things away or discard them. Their homes are
stacked with clutter such as pots and pans in the sinks, dirty dishes, pizza
boxes, old wrappers, rotten food, and the rooms are piled up with boxes,
furniture and old newspapers from the fifties. You can virtually fill several trucks
to remove all the stacked-up contents of the home. For those hoarders who also
collect animals, there are usually dozens of pets who are being neglected and
live in unsanitary conditions; some with matted hair and skin conditions and
even some animals which have died.
Hoarding an obsessive
compulsive disorder (OCD)
Vets or family members are usually the first to spot signs
of animal hoarding when pet owners seek help for their sick or injured animals.
If someone in your family has difficulty discarding things and saves old
bottles or boxes of clothes and unable to either throw out what he or she does
not need, the time for a visit to the doctor is due. Hoarding usually starts
from a young age and symptoms are more severe later in life if the person is
left untreated. Consult a mental health provider as soon as you can. Where
health and safety is an issue you may also need to contact local authorities
such as the police, fire, public health or animal welfare agencies.
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