Any household gets messy and dirty from time to time. So if you have a family or a friend that has a house that is filled with clutter and it already affects their health and lifestyle. Then they might have that obsessive-compulsive anxiety disorder better known as hoarding.
“Hoarding Disorder” is described as a persistent difficulty in discarding or parting with personal things due to extreme urges to save items, including distress and indecision. Some experts say that there is always a certain “trigger” for a person to start becoming a hoarder, like death, post-trauma, divorce and so much more. Evidently its some life event that starts off the behavior.
Dangers Of Hoarding
Hoarding posts great dangers to one’s health, home, and even mental state. Other hoarding dangers will include bug infestations, structural damage, mold growth, and fire hazards.
Hoarding also affects the minds; it can cause both anxiety and stress. If you are to clean up a loved ones hoarding situation, it is best to get professional hoarder cleanup services.
Health Hazards
Health issues due to hoarding are unavoidable. Mold grows in those areas we are unable to see. From this comes mold spores which are dangerous those who are allergic to this. Another is bug infestations; some bugs are quite dangerous just by a single bite like the Lyme disease from ticks and the West Nile virus from mosquitoes. Other bugs spread bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli. Hoarding also attracts rodents such as rats and mice who are known to bring viruses like the Hantavirus which is very fatal.
Now the much common problem with regards to hoarding is the tripping hazard. Such situations cause fractures and broken bones, especially for older people.
A Hazard To Those That Help
Hoarding poses harm to the people that try to help as well. There are cases wherein emergency workers encounter injuries while trying to help hoarders during emergencies. In some cases, we have firefighters who died after getting trapped by clutter.
Cleaning Hazards
The cleanup process can also pose dangers. Professionals such as pest control, exterminators, and contractors are best consulted to assess any possible risks before the cleaning project starts. Although, if the clutter and hoarding are way too extreme best that hoarding cleaning companies be the ones to do it for you to avoid any potential dangers and risks.
How To Help Hoarder
Do:
- Express genuine concern
- Provide education
- Extend an offer to help
In actual cases of people with hoarding disorder, mental health treatment is necessary. Another helpful way can be crisis intervention and relocation near a family member.
Don’t:
- Isolate a hoarder
- Enable their hoarding
- Throw their stuff without consent
- Lecture and Nag
Best remember that stress contributes to hoarding. It is essential to understand that court orders or jail time (without proper treatment) are not a solution.
It is important to be supportive when providing help to someone who has hoarding disorder. It’s best to let a hoarder know that you genuinely care about getting the best care for their situation.