Hoarding disorder is an issue many people experience, and it often occurs without friends and even family being aware. While mild hoarding can be a harmless habit of collecting clutter, treatment is the best option if it starts to cause distress or health risks. This blog looks at hoarding as a condition and possible treatment.
Who to Talk To
Perhaps the most challenging part of any issue relating to mental health or addiction is talking about it with others. Many hoarders manage to hide it from friends and family for years, and it can be easy to adapt to keep it a secret. However, once the person acknowledges there is a problem, talking to someone is the first step. This could be family or a friend, or a GP. A GP can refer people to appropriate mental health teams that specialise in dealing with issues related to hoarding.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT, is a talking therapy that focuses on how your thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs affect your behaviour and feelings. It is often used to treat hoarding disorder individually or as a group session. Targeting hoarding disorder in these sessions is becoming increasingly effective as more specific research is carried out.
What Therapy May Cover
- Explore beliefs about having to hold onto and hoard things
- Understanding the reasons it may be difficult to throw things away
- Teach coping skills for difficult emotions and overwhelming feelings
- Various types of talking therapy that could determine the root cause of the condition. Sometimes the death of a loved one or a breakdown could trigger hoarding disorder.
- Long-term therapy to help manage the hoarding disorder. This may have to be provided privately as NHS services usually focus on short-term treatment.
Effects of Hoarding Disorder
There are different levels of hoarding, varying from non-excessive clutter and mild hoarding that does not cause problems or risks right through to dangerous living conditions and vermin infestations. Untreated hoarders can create problems for other people in the household as well as contribute to relationship breakdowns. The associated mess smells and potential infestations can also cause tension with neighbours. In extreme cases, people are in danger of coming to harm in their homes due to the condition it is in. This is why it is important to seek the right help if you suffer as a hoarder.
Contact National Clearances on 0203 9859552.