Compulsive hoarders in England have persistent difficulty getting rid of personal possessions. They need to hang on to what they have, and feel distress at the thought of discarding things. As a result, their homes may become so cluttered that they can hardly live in them safely.
People living in the United Kingdom have a 2% to 6% chance of becoming hoarders. This is greater than the 2.5% probability across the developed world. Although a separate study found a lower 1.5% likelihood in South East London.
Hoarding disorder begins to surface in children at age 11 to 15. Their hoarding is usually mild, with the outward signs becoming more extreme in middle age, and later. Most compulsive hoarders in England display signs of emotional attachment to their possessions, because they believe these have a future purpose.
Contents of This Article
Introduction
Dangers Facing Compulsive Hoarders
Supporting Compulsive Hoarders In England
Psychological Treatments Helping Hoarders
Community Services Helping Hoarders Cope at Home
Practical Ways to Help a Compulsive Hoarder
Time to Clear a Hoarded Home in England
Dangers Facing Compulsive Hoarders
We should not underestimate the dangerous conditions compulsive hoarders face in their homes. These risks may include, but are not limited to the following:
- Cleaning becomes difficult among the clutter. Unhygienic conditions attract insect and rodents.
- Personal possessions can make it difficult to move about the home. Elderly people can trip over them.
- Cluttered personal possessions may pile up, and become a fire risk that blocks access to the dwelling.
- The piles of clutter may fall off shelves, or collapse on the ground endangering residents.
- Friends of compulsive hoarders in England may back off, increasing the hoarder’s social isolation.
Large amounts of combustible materials and blocked exits, make it difficult to fight home fires. The London Fire Brigade reports some front and back doors become blocked making access difficult.
Overloaded extension leads, portable heaters, and stove hobs left on, can cause fires that spread rapidly through clutter. This can have a serious impact on housing providers, emergency services, and social care agencies.
Supporting Compulsive Hoarders In England
If you know a compulsive hoarder in England you would like to help, then your general practitioner can probably advise you. They could refer you to a local mental health team, with experience of people with hoarding-related symptoms.
Health service providers generally do not provide specific advice for treating people with hoarding condition. They may suggest applying obsessive-compulsive disorder programs instead. These include cognitive behavioral therapy, and prescription anti-depressants.
Psychological Treatments Helping Hoarders
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a time-limited, goal oriented treatment, during which time a therapist focuses on the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and hoarding behaviour. The patient and therapist explore ways to improve the situation during conversations.
This treatment may take place in the therapist’s clinic to avoid distractions. However, it may also occur in the patient’s home, to focus on the clutter and reach practical decisions.
A cognitive behavioral therapy program may continue on for several months, depending on the patient’s ability to make decisions. A ‘clutter buddy’ may assist between sessions to help their friend move forward.
A caring friend can help a hoarder resolve the clutter layer-by-layer, as they address areas in the home systematically. They may need to have a robust friendship though, as they wrestle over how many items are reasonable to keep.
Community Services Helping Hoarders Cope at Home
Some professional specialist centres provide multi-disciplinary help in the form of home visits and practical support. These services come into frame following a traumatic event involving a home-based compulsive hoarder in England.
Charitable organizations and community groups such as Hoarding Disorders UK, Hoarding UK, OCD Action, and Mind offer support groups, online forums, decluttering advice, and training for professionals.
Some regional councils also operate integrated care programs.These focus on long term, person centred treatment. This model, which embraces psychological assistance, decluttering, and safety strategies in homes can be very beneficial.
Practical Ways to Help a Compulsive Hoarder
Hoarders can be incredibly stubborn, once the habit becomes an embedded part of their lives. Recognize the warning signs. Act early as soon as you see clutter gathering.
Watch out for emotional attachment to items, and resistance to getting rid of them. Speak up if the situation starts affecting resident safety. If this is happening, then you really do need to act.
Be careful not to force your hand though. Approach the situation with compassion and care. Avoid insisting on clean ups. You may be successful, but you could break the bond of trust. Focus on the health and well-being of your friend.
Time to Clear a Hoarded Home in England
When it is time to clear a hoarded home in England, you need a specialist to clear away and dispose of the clutter responsibly. Avery Associates regularly completes such projects. We can help evaluate and sell items of collectible value too.
Please contact us when it suits you, by following this link to our contact details. We employ our own in-house team to do the heavy lifting. Our clients tell us we are more than a great clutter removal service. We leave clean homes behind us too.
More Advice About Compulsive Hoarding
Five Degrees of Hoarding to Watch For
Does My Parent Have Hoarding Disorder?
Great service from Jeff. He was fair with pricing, and did an amazing job with the clearance of my great-uncle’s flat. Will definitely use again in the future. Nathan
