Hoarding as a Mental Illness

People who hoard or stockpile large accumulations of stuff in their homes are more than just bad housekeepers. Hoarding is more than just a cluttered home. It can grow to be so overpowering that the people living in the house barely exist. Some even have to walk sideways to get through the rooms because of all the mountains of stuff they've accumulated.

Hoarding usually starts in a closet, basement or spare room and then, eventually, takes over every room of the house. As their mounds of useless items continue to climb toward the ceiling, their home is no longer a home. Not only is hoarding unsightly, but it's also dangerous, as accidents can easily occur. As the piles of worthless stuff grow larger, every room ceases to function. What was once a normal, functional home becomes room after room of trash bins.

Hoarding is a Mental Illness
According to the Obsessive Compulsion Foundation, a non-profit organization based in New Haven, Connecticut, hoarders are not lazy, either, but suffer from a mental condition. They point out that hoarders usually have an abnormal brain functioning, different from non-hoarders.

Helping Hoarders

Can you do anything to help hoarders? Unfortunately, you can't help them until they first ask for help. Just as any addiction, hoarding is a sickness where you usually have to first hit bottom before you change.

• Plan an intervention. Don't try to confront them alone. Call on other concerned friends and/or family members to get together at a specific time. However, just as other interventions (such confronting drug addiction, alcoholism, anorexia, etc.) you'll probably need to surprise the hoarder, not letting him (or her) suspect the meeting is about his problem. For example, plan to have the people participating in the intervention meet at a certain time at the hoarder's house. Knock on the door and gently tell the hoarder you're there to help him. Then let each person take turns, expressing their concerns.
• Never take charge of the problem while the hoarder is out of town. Remember that it's a mental problem. You may be able to haul away the junk, but unless you deal with why hoard you've only applied a "Band-Aid" and haven't treated the disease.
• If the hoarder agrees he needs help, solicit a team to clean out the house. Designate four areas on the lawn: "Keepers", "Donations", "To Sell", and "Garbage."
• Be sure the hoarder stands at the front door and grants the final "OK" on each item. It's vital that he makes the decision of what to do with his stuff. Be aware that he'll have a hard time making up his mind, and will, most likely, not want to let go of most of his things.
• Gently remind him of his goal to change and find order, happiness, and peace---to reclaim his home. Ask, "Are you happy now? Do you really want to change?" Then point to the house and remind him how his house is no longer a home, but a prison if he doesn't let go of useless items.

Finally, encourage the hoarder to seek professional help. Most often, hoarding is due to filling a void, such as the loss of a loved one. Mistakenly, they think that holding onto sentimental things will bring comfort. Hopefully, once they realize being overly sentimental does not bring happiness---that storing up stuff only brings misery, chaos, and isolation, they'll want to change.

Originally published on Suite 101.