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Treatment for mental illnesses and Hoarding Disorder usually consists of therapy, medication, or a combination of the two. Treatment for mental health problems can be given in person or through a phone or computer (telemental health). It can sometimes be difficult to know where to start when looking for mental health care, CLICK RECOURSES to find a hoarding Therapist anywhere in the United States.
By its very nature, people with obsessive compulsive and related disorders can have a huge impact far beyond the people who hoard, much more so than other mental health illnesses. Family members of those who hoard, whether or not they live with the person with hoarding disorder (HD), are affected by both the emotional toll of the disorder and the physical consequences. Causing anxiety, depression, significant distress and that effects their quality of life.
The visible signs that someone has Hoarding Disorder (HD) can, in some cases, be pretty obvious. The large number possessions make it difficult to walk through living areas, it can be hard to locate items among all of the clutter, and/or it is impossible to use rooms as they were intended to be used due to the clutter. In short, your loved one’s cluttered home has completely taken over their life, and possibly your life too.
That said, extremely cluttered living areas do not become that way overnight. It takes time for the amount of collected items or trash to reach the level that prevents your loved one to live comfortably and safely in their home. There are early warning signs that your loved one may have mental health problems, and the sooner you see these early warning signs the easier it will be able to help a family member or friend.
Here are ten warning signs that someone may have mental health problems.
- Someone who keeps parts of the home (or the entire home) off-limits. People with HD often try to hide their situation from family and friends — they may close off specific living areas of their home or try to keep others out altogether. They may fear that if you see the state of their home or certain rooms, you will demand they throw away possessions. People with hoarding disorder may also fear that you will touch or remove their possessions without their permission, and may therefore go to great lengths to keep you out of their space. If your loved one tells you that parts of their home are off-limits, or is overly concerned about others seeing inside their home, this may be a sign that they are struggling with obsessive compulsive disorder OCD or other mental health conditions.
- Someone insists on meeting you at your home or at the event. People with HD often feel uncomfortable having people in their homes. They may fear that you will discover the extent of the hoarding problem, or that if you visit you will take or accidentally damage their things. Or, perhaps they are just tired of arguing with you about the extreme clutter and the state of their home.
- You and the hoarder talk a lot about the stuff. At first, your conversations with your loved one may be gentle and supportive. You might offer suggestions, maybe advice on controlling the growing problem, or you might offer to help clear things out. Over time, however, these conversations can become more heated and emotional if the clutter continues to grow.
- If you and the person living in the hoarding situation are talking a lot about the stuff, particularly if these talks lead to conflicts, arguments, and/or hurt feelings on both sides, then they may have HD. De-cluttering even a small area of the home is a major job that would take more than a few hours or days. Even a relatively small amount of belongings can pose an organizational nightmare to a person with HD. The inability to sort possessions efficiently or has difficulty discarding items of no value may distinguish the person with HD from someone who is simply prone to disorganization. If a person without mental health problems wishes to declutter a room or desk, for example, they can usually sort and organize the possessions efficiently. In contrast, a person with obsessive compulsive disorder or other problems typically cannot organize, categorize, and make the many decisions necessary to declutter a space efficiently.
- The people who hoard often feels overwhelmed by the many ways they can sort, organize, or store an item and then stops the entire process. For this reason, even a loved one who is motivated to work on the clutter may fail without assistance and a lot of it.
- Your friend, family member or loved one often fails to pay bills on time. They may have bill collectors calling because of missed payments on house or credit card bills, even though they have the money to pay these bills. When you try to call them, you may discover that the telephone company has disconnected the phone or that they are living without power and heat. The ability to pay bills promptly requires locating these bills, their checkbook, envelopes and stamps to mail them. Small tasks like paying bills become large and overwhelming tasks when he or she tries to handle daily responsibilities.
- The person you are concerned about has financial problems from excessive shopping. Another warning sign that they may have HD is that they spend more money than they have or collect free things even if they have no purpose. People that hoard may not admit that they buy or collect items they do not need, in part because they see these things as necessary or useful in some way. You may see packages among the extreme clutter that have never been opened and they have no idea what they are. You may find that your loved one or friend has filled the home with much more supplies than they could ever use. This can become a major health issue with perishable food.
- He or she puts off repairs to the home. As the clutter grows, your loved one’s home may start to fall apart. They complain about things like the leaky faucet and broken toilet but he or she will not let you fix anything in the home although it is desperately needed. If the idea of calling a electrician, plumber, heating repair person or landlord is brought up, he or she may insist on cleaning up the house first, but never get around to it. Over the years, you may watch as the home deteriorates and the hoarder insists that things are not that bad. This can often lead to the home being condemned. Local law enforcement can enforce a court order for them to vacate.
- This person has a garage that is over filled or storage units filled with items they have not used in years and never will. Over filled closets and garages may be an early sign of someone who has a mental heath problem. Your loved one or friend might ask you to store their things in your garage and home. The potential hoarder pays to rent one or more storage units and always seems to be on the lookout for more space for their stuff.
- Your friend or loved one will not let you touch or borrow their possessions. When you do visit they may refuse to loan you a tool or other items even though they may have several of them. Your loved one may snap at you if you pick up one of their possessions or if you move something aside. You may have learned to keep your hands to yourself when you visit, and to stand rather than try to sit in the home.
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