hoarding

Since the A&E network's show "Hoarders" started airing, a lot of people who have been living "private" lives are contacting me (as are their families), asking for advice about getting help. They want to know, step by step, what the process involves and what they should consider before moving forward. Unfortunately, I can no longer answer everyone individually due to the volume of inquiries. Instead, I thought I would post some of the topics I talk about with potential clients and client families.

Over the past few weeks I've shared some insight from a client who struggles with chronic disorganization and Dr. April Benson, who works with compulsive shoppers. This week, I interview an expert who helps young children with hoarding -- Dr. Dia from Hoarders.

Many of you reading this blog have been calling and emailing asking me about the collaborative processes I’ve mentioned and how I get started working with a hoarder. I can only speak from my own perspective and tell you how this professional organizer begins. It is important to remember that each organizer does things her own way and there is no one-size-fits-all way to go about this.

Below, I’ve posted a few questions that I typically ask during an initial telephone screening and/or referral. After the telephone questions, I usually do an in-person, individual assessment and ask a lot more questions.

I have a family member who I think might be a hoarder; what do I do?

Since the airing of the A&E Documentary “Hoarding,” this is by far the most common question I have received. Many times hoarders are unable to recognize that there is cause for concern about their behavior. Are you concerned that your spouse, partner or a family member may have a problem with hoarding?

If organizing a hoarder’s home, you’ll find a lot of clutter of course. Mixed in with the clutter, you will probably find some of the following:

• Filth and debris
• Fecal matter – from humans, pets, mice, rats, etc.
• Bodily fluids
• Excessive trash
• Expired food
• Odors
• Mold
• Mildew
• Insects (bedbugs, maggots, weevils, spiders, ants, etc.)
• Pathogens carried in water, food, and air. A pathogen is “An agent that causes infection or disease, especially a microorganism, such as a bacterium or protozoan, or a virus.” (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pathogen)

If you’ve been watching the A&E TV series “Hoarders”, you may have noticed that there are numerous mental health professionals working with the individuals in the Season 1 documentaries. According to emails I’m receiving, the initials following the doctors’ names are confusing. Several viewers are wondering what the difference is between a Ph.D, M.D., or MSW. And, what exactly is CBT? Hopefully, this will help clarify some of the confusion, chaos or conundrum about credentials.

The new A&E documentary, “Hoarding,” has recently shed light on how hoarding impacts a family’s life in specific and tangible ways: how it affects a family’s living conditions, social ability, the children and jobs of family members.

While we may all feel we have clutter and disorganization in our lives at one point or another, knowing the difference between hoarding and chronic disorganization can help address these conditions more effectively, bringing organization and peace back into our lives.

Since the premier of the A&E documentary, “Hoarders,” which airs on Monday evenings at 10/9C, there has been an overwhelming response. After answering a lot of emails and phone calls from hoarders, friends of hoarders and family members of hoarders, I’ve noticed there is still a stigma attached to mental health conditions, especially hoarding.

Working with hoarders can feel like an insurmountable challenge, not just because of the inordinate amount of clutter that creeps into every corner and crevice of a hoarder’s home, but because the task of cleanup is centered around the ever evolving behaviors and beliefs of the hoarder.

"Sometimes I'll just buy something at a thrift shop not even knowing if I'm gonna need it."
~ Amy Wells, set decorator for Mad Men