Saturday 28 April 2018

Tips To Determine Am I A Hoarder

By Kathleen Wright


All homes have small amounts of clutter and dirt that get cleared up and organized weekly or monthly. When this clutter and dirt starts to accumulate to the point where general living conditions are compromised and the interior becomes hazardous with goods and debris, it could constitute a hoarding situation. To answer the question, am I a hoarder requires a look at its definition, behaviors and the psychological implications behind it.

The presence of hoarding will consume your life and affect both the hoarder and family members or loved ones. The purchase of goods or collection of items that are not useful and cannot be tossed, becomes unhealthy and obsessive making it increasingly difficult to manage. The space inside and outside your house is taken over and general lifestyle becomes compromised.

If you are a hoarder or perhaps suspect a relative or friend of hoarding, obtaining a complete psychological evaluation and finding the right help can detect levels of anxiety and stress. The occurrence of OCD or obsessive compulsive disorder is the basis for symptoms leaving individuals under severe distress when attempting to release goods. A complete assessment is needed to ensure anxiety is managed and stress alleviated.

If you are slowly building up items that are no longer useful or under the impression it will be useful some time in the future, your home is eventually filled with stuff. Living spaces are taken over by furniture, goods and food that leave open areas consumed and create health risk as debris forms. When clutter reaches epic proportions, even bedrooms are taken over and many people sleep between the clutter.

Every resident will store goods or hold onto special items but these are maintained, cleaned and organized. Hoarders cannot maintain a level of organization and most items are lost in the large piles of clutter including the formation of dirt and debris. Hoarders are unable to relieve themselves of goods and tend to accumulate more, restricting the ability to walk through the house or reach private areas such as the bedroom.

Items that become part of a hoarders life include plastics, clothing, food and papers to garden items, mechanical parts and other objects that cannot be used. There is no order to these goods and heaps accumulate inside and outside of the hoe to the point of moving in between the clutter and sleeping areas. It is important to note the lack of control and an extreme inability to let go of these items.

The characteristic mark of an OCD hoarder is the severe anxiety associated with separating from these stored goods. Many people who sort through these items with the assistance of friends and family are unable to release the items without experiencing a high level of anxiety and stress. Hoarders will create many excuses as to why the stored goods cannot be released.

The occurrence of hoarding will take over your life and while cluttered corners may start small, it quickly builds-up and becomes overwhelming to manage. A professional therapist specializing in OCD and related conditions assists in addressing the underlying anxiety and stress such behaviors cause. Finding ways of managing belongings and goods in a healthy manner can avoid such difficulties.




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