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Am I a hoarder? 5 signs you need a professional hoarding help

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A hoarder’s home is filled with unusable items they don’t want to throw away. When this behavior spirals out of control, it is time to get professional hoarding help.

 

Am I a hoarder? 5 signs you need a professional hoarding help

Perhaps you have seen television shows where people encase themselves in decrepit conditions with mounds of stuff. Family members have tried to intervene, but their efforts only served to strain the relationship with the hoarder. Sometimes hoarders see nothing wrong with their overstuffed home and therefore have no interest in decluttering their spaces. Their relationships with their communities become fractured. Sometimes, city officials become involved and the situation further escalates.

What is hoarding?

Hoarding is a response to trauma that manifests in holding on to possessions far beyond the hoarder’s ability to manage them. Hoarding fills the void that was left behind in their lives as a result of the trauma. Depression also impacts the emotions of the hoarder and the practical use of the home is no longer functional.

 

The effects of hoarding are very serious and can even be deadly. Some hoarders have lost their lives because their mounds of debris made it impossible to escape. And, the mold and mildew that result from unsanitary conditions pose a serious threat to the homeowner’s health. The homes suffer even further when maintenance issues lapse, there is no plumbing, and the electricity has been cut off.

 

The goal of helping a hoarder is to intervene before the hoarding gets out of hand. So, how do you know if you or a loved one needs help?

Five signs or hoarding that require professional hoarding help.

1. Your home is starting to be overwhelmed with stuff and you do not want to throw anything away. Your rationale is that you might need those things in the future.
2. You don’t think you have a problem so there is nothing wrong with saving all of your possessions. Therefore, you refuse all efforts from others to throw things out.
3. The continuing accumulation of things makes living in the home more difficult. You need to move things to go to the bedroom, the bathroom or to cook.
4. The condition of the home is squalid and unsanitary. Leftover food that was not properly disposed of, dirty dishes, roaches and other pests run rampant, a non-functioning toilet and, the inability to move freely about the home indicate compulsive hoarding.
5. Hoarders develop a strong emotional attachment to their belongings but become increasingly detached from loved ones and the outside world.

Get professional hoarding help

If you recognize these signs, perhaps it is time to get professional hoarding help. Professionals can enact a hoarding cleaning plan designed specifically for you and your needs. They work to help you with compassion and understanding because they know why people hoard. They work judgment-free so there is no need to be embarrassed or ashamed. You need help and their sole purpose for being there is to help you.

 

If you have a loved one impacted by this condition, you can also seek professional help. They can guide you on how to help your family member with their assistance. Making practical sense or using logic to convince them to change is often not the response needed to resolve their trauma-based behavior. Let the experts give you the effective help you need.