Compulsive Hoarding In Rock Hill And Tega Cay Area

9/7/2016 (Permalink)

Hoarding can be cleaned up by SERVPRO.

Hoarding Cleanup For York County

Since about the year 2000, hoarding and hoarder have entered our shared public vocabulary and are now firmly fixed as elements of popular culture. Compulsive hoarding, also known by medical professionals as hoarding disorder, is a pattern of behavior that is characterized by excessive acquisition and an inability or unwillingness to discard large quantities of objects that cover the living areas of the home and cause significant distress or impairment. Compulsive hoarding behavior has been associated with health risks, impaired functioning, economic burden, and adverse effects on friends and family members. When clinically significant enough to impair functioning, hoarding can prevent typical uses of space, enough so that it can limit activities such as cooking, cleaning, moving through the house, and sleeping. It can also put the individual and others at risk of fires, falling, poor sanitation, and other health concerns. Compulsive hoarders may be aware of their irrational behavior, but the emotional attachment to the hoarded objects far exceeds the motive to discard the items.

Compulsive hoarding in its worst forms can cause fires, unsanitary conditions (such as rat and roach infestations), and other health and safety hazards.

Listed below are possible symptoms hoarders may experience:

1. They hold onto a large number of items that most people would consider useless or worthless:

Junk mail, old catalogs and newspapers
Worn out cooking equipment
Things that might be useful for making crafts
Clothes that might be worn one day
Broken things or trash
"Freebies" or other promotional products
2. Their home is cluttered to the point where many parts are inaccessible and can no longer be used for their intended purpose:

Beds that cannot be slept in
Kitchens that cannot be used for food preparation, refrigerators filled with rotting food, and stove tops piled with combustibles such as junk mail and old food
Tables, chairs, or sofas that cannot be used for dining or sitting
·Unsanitary bathrooms, piles of human or animal feces collected in areas of the home, and giant bags of dirty diapers that have been hoarded for many years
Tubs, showers, and sinks are filled with items and can no longer be used for washing or bathing. Hoarders would thus possibly forego bathing, or bathe at another facility.
Some hoarded animals they cannot even marginally care for; dead animals cannibalized by other animals are often found under the heaps. Animals often suffer due to lack of mobility.
3. Their clutter and mess is at a point where it can cause illness, distress, and impairment. As a result, they:

Do not allow visitors in, such as family and friends or repair and maintenance professionals, because the clutter embarrasses them
Are reluctant or unable to return borrowed items
Steal due to the impulse of possession
Keep the shades drawn so that no one can look inside
Get into a lot of arguments with family members regarding the clutter
Are at risk of fire, falling, infestation, or eviction
Often feel depressed or anxious due to the clutter
WHAT CAN BE DONE?

If you or a member of your family or circle of close friends exhibits traits similar to those described above, outside help may be needed. Medical professionals can and do administer drug therapy and/or cognitive-behavioral therapy to those experiencing this disorder. Of course, a suffering individual must first be convinced to seek this outside help. This is in most cases bound to be a process rather than an event and patience and persistence may be needed.

In some cases, outside help may also be required to help clean out accumulated objects and products and debris from the home of someone who has been hoarding. In addition, extensive demolition and reconstruction of the home could be needed. If you think you might need this kind of help, do not hesitate to contact SERVPRO.

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