From Hoarding to Hope: Understanding People Who Hoard and How To Help Them by Geralin Thomas

Author:Geralin Thomas
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: MetroZing Publishing
Published: 2015-04-19T22:00:00+00:00

Why Not Remove Compulsive Hoarders From Their Home and Clean It Up for Them?

Is treating drug abuse as simple as taking drugs away from the abuser/user and forcing them to detox? No, of course not. Why? The individuals would be likely to do anything to obtain drugs and return to using because:

• They must manage the strong neurobiological dependence that influences drug-craving and drug-seeking that has developed.

• They have not developed the skills necessary to cope with cravings and environmental “triggers.”

• They need to improve problem-solving skills or address other psychopathology and stressors that are common in substance abuse.

• This also would not address the person’s motivation to change; without a desire to end addiction, treatment will inevitably fail.

Compulsive hoarding is no different. This is why we can’t we simply remove individuals who hoard from their home and clean the home for them. First of all, doing so has the potential to cause significant distress and interpersonal conflict. Because of the great value placed upon many of these hoarded possessions, disposing them without the individual’s consent typically causes them to feel violated and distraught. Moreover, it is not at all certain to produce long-term change; the individuals will be likely to quickly re-acquire and clutter the home and will be more resistant to further help or intervention. Cleaning for them does not give them the opportunity to practice and learn important decision-making skills, learn the function that hoarding has served in their lives, and learn strategies to cope with their intense emotions. Exposure allows them to learn that the emotions they have been avoiding (by failing to make decisions about items or discarding) are tolerable and that the intensity of distress and anxiety decreases (habituates) as they continue to proceed through the process of decision-making and decluttering. Therefore, they must do it themselves in order to be able to achieve long-term success and maintain the cleanliness of the home.

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