Compulsive hoarding information, when is a disease collected?

Compulsive hoarding information, when is a disease collected?

Compulsive hoarding is the great unspoken epidemic in the United States, affecting up to two million people. Compulsive hoarding is an uncontrollable need to collect large numbers of things that appear useless or worthless. It manifests itself in compulsive shopping, collecting, adopting cats and dogs, and saving free things like newspapers, magazines, magnets, pens, and even junk mail. Doctors tell us it is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

At this point you have to ask yourself where you cross the line between a natural interest in collecting and a sick compulsive pathological collecting. In extreme cases, people have filled their homes with clutter and trash so much that it invades living areas and leaves much of their home out of bounds. This manifests itself in two types of formulations, the first type is instrumental storage. Hoarders believe that the items meet a specific need and have a purpose for them. Hoarding makes sense to them, for example they think they could sell the items for a big profit in the future. In reality, they cannot imagine parting with any of it. The second type of hoarder is the person who saves things for sentimental reasons. The possessions are actually a part of themselves because they have an emotional attachment to them.

Many hoarders believe that they need to hold on to the things they collect because they may need them later. This usually happens with old furniture that piles up in attics and garages because you never know when it will be needed. Indecision can also be involved in hoarding. In this case, the hoarder cannot decide whether to throw away the item or keep it. So he keeps it and avoids making a decision.

The most amazing thing is that most hoarders don't realize they have a problem. They can only see their situation as normal, they miss their out-of-control obsession. In these cases, things continue until an affected family member, a landlord or the health department intervenes.

Doctors treat compulsive hoarding with medications such as certain antidepressants like Paxil or with cognitive behavioral therapy. The therapist takes a series of steps with the patient to resolve the problem steps, such as:

1. Erkundung der Notwendigkeit zu horten
2. Lernende Organisation und Entscheidung, welche loszuwerden.
3. Entstören mit Hilfe des Therapeuten oder eines professionellen Organisators.
4. Entspannung lernen.
5. Gruppentherapie.

While this is not usually necessary, in severe cases hospitalization may be required.

Compulsive hoarding can be difficult to deal with because the person may not realize there is a problem even though their house is overflowing with trash. If you need to deal with the problem, understanding is the best approach. Help the person recognize that their actions are not in their best interest. Ask them what things are really important to them and how would you like your life to be in five years? There is no point in arguing, threatening or blaming them. You need to build some trust. After some time, you may be able to get them to admit that there may be a problem. This opens the door to introducing her to a professional to end her compulsive hoarding.

Inspired by Sarah Johanson