A Guide To Clutter And Hoarding.
The terms clutter and hoarding relate to a serious psychological disorder known as obsessive hoarding or hoarding syndrome. This disorder is characterized by the inability to throw away things that most people would consider trash. The individual will continue to keep things in their home, even if those items are moldy or contaminated in other ways. It should not be surprising that clutter and hoarding are related. Those that suffer from one of these disorders will find a connection between clutter and hoarding. Since they cannot throw anything away, their personal spaces will be full of random items and trash that they cannot part with. Typically spotting the random amounts of things will highlight the connection between clutter and hoarding and also be the first sign of a hoarding problem. A hoarding problem is always characterized by an immense amount of clutter, with clutter and hoarding being the first sign of a problem. Usually those who share the individual’s house or apartment are the first to notice a problem. They may realize that there are newspapers and magazines from several years ago taking up a large portion of their home, or a series of lamps that takes up too much room. They may also notice that they have several toasters, mixers, blenders, or some other item even though none of the appliances actually work. The next step in noticing the connection between clutter and hoarding is when someone in the house attempts to reduce the clutter. They may decide to have a yard sale, give things away to charity, or simply throw things away. When they make attempts to reduce this connection between clutter and hoarding, the individual with the problem will have a complete breakdown or initiate an argument. This argument can be quite intense, with both sides convinced they are right and the other is wrong. In some situations the individual may know that they need to reduce the connection between the clutter and their hoarding problem, but be unable to take any steps to reduce that. This happens in situations where the disorder is the result of a chemical imbalance. They will have a problem in the way they process information and have difficult in making decisions, even simple decisions. The first step in reducing the connection between clutter and hoarding is to try and eliminate things that are trash. This includes anything that the individual has more than one of, such as appliances. It should also include anything that is broken. If someone has had a television for six months and never attempted to have it fixed, than the chances that they will have it repaired in the future are slim to none. Individuals should also throw away anything that is damaged or moldy. Reducing the connection between clutter and hoarding is only the first step in curing the overall more serious problem. This step can be done in the comfort of one’s home and with the help of their family or loved one.
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