OMG! Hoarding is a disease now?!!!!

[camellia0]

You need to go through your stuff and say to yourself "Do I really need this?" and it is probably good to have someone with you while you do this because chances are you will say you do need things you don't.

[Kiraleen]

It's been classified as a disease for a long time now; there was a show on A&E called "Hoarders".

I think you'd need to talk to a therapist to know for sure if you have it.

[UGetPaid]

With all due respect, the first problem is believing hoarding is a disease.  With it being labeled that, people are told that it's not their fault and that they can't help it.  It is sad to me that people are labeling stuff like this a disease.

With all due respect, "labeling" it a disease in no way communicates to people that it is not their fault and that they can't help it. When you have cat *bleep* throughout your living space and dead animal carcasses decaying in your bedroom and bottles of your own pee in the corner of your kitchen, it is not because you are lazy and a lousy housekeeper. That is not normal human behavior - it is a mental illness!!!

When you become violently agitated at the mere suggestion from a loved one that you throw away curdled milk or green moldy meat and you would rather your spouse or children completely sever their ties with you if it means you don't have to throw away baby clothes soaked in rat feces or stop using a bucket for a toilet because you haven't had running water in your house for six years - you have a mental illness!!!


Yes, I am using extreme examples and not all hoarders are this severe. But just trying to make my point once again that "disease" is not limited to those maladies brought on by viruses and bacteria. There is a big difference between someone who is lazy and someone who doesn't even realize that they are making completely irrational decisions because of a mental illness!!!

These people need therapy to fully understand the consequences of their actions. They need to see that they are at fault for the deplorable conditions in which they live and that they can change their circumstances if they accept help. Labeling it a disease doesn't give them a free pass to continue the patterns of behavior that made their living space so deplorable, but it does give them the tools to get the help they need to break free from the chains by seeking out the underlying root of their illness.

[paints]

With all due respect, the first problem is believing hoarding is a disease.  With it being labeled that, people are told that it's not their fault and that they can't help it.  It is sad to me that people are labeling stuff like this a disease.

With all due respect, "labeling" it a disease in no way communicates to people that it is not their fault and that they can't help it. When you have cat *bleep* throughout your living space and dead animal carcasses decaying in your bedroom and bottles of your own pee in the corner of your kitchen, it is not because you are lazy and a lousy housekeeper. That is not normal human behavior - it is a mental illness!!!

When you become violently agitated at the mere suggestion from a loved one that you throw away curdled milk or green moldy meat and you would rather your spouse or children completely sever their ties with you if it means you don't have to throw away baby clothes soaked in rat feces or stop using a bucket for a toilet because you haven't had running water in your house for six years - you have a mental illness!!!


Yes, I am using extreme examples and not all hoarders are this severe. But just trying to make my point once again that "disease" is not limited to those maladies brought on by viruses and bacteria. There is a big difference between someone who is lazy and someone who doesn't even realize that they are making completely irrational decisions because of a mental illness!!!

These people need therapy to fully understand the consequences of their actions. They need to see that they are at fault for the deplorable conditions in which they live and that they can change their circumstances if they accept help. Labeling it a disease doesn't give them a free pass to continue the patterns of behavior that made their living space so deplorable, but it does give them the tools to get the help they need to break free from the chains by seeking out the underlying root of their illness.

This is truth. 

I'm not lazy, and I'm not a lousy housekeeper. 

Hoarding is not a rational act.  When you get to the root of it, you understand why you started, and it begins to make sense.  It also makes it easier to let go of things.

[countrygirl12]

It's been classified as a disease for a long time now; there was a show on A&E called "Hoarders".

I think you'd need to talk to a therapist to know for sure if you have it.

It is not a disease.  Like someone else said, classifying it as a disease is just another way to get people a check.

Calling things like this a disease is a real slap in the face to people who have a real disease. A real medical condition. Just like eating pills and drinking alcohol is not a disease.  SMH

[hitch0403]

I am not sure anyone said this yet.....but collecting junk can also be a fire hazard in the home.This can block exits and hinder firemen from fighting a fire.I have seen it happen more then once in my town.

[vickysue]

OCD  can be very bad for some people. Hubby's aunt was a hoarder and when she finally let us come into her house to move her after she  made up her mind to move, it was like walking into a nightmare. We spent whole week shoveling out trash from the house, every room was piled  higher then me it seemed. We could not even get to the furniture because of all of the clean food containers in each  room. So we  work around  a lot of it. Loaded what she wanted . then called a cleaning company to come in and  clean everything , tear out the cabnets, and everything out of the bathrooms and also get rid of all the trash. the cleaning crew took one look and said they would not do it without hazmat gear. Cost us $2100.00 dollars for that. Then we sold the house the next day for $150,000.00. Not  bad for the work that was done. But if we hadn't hired it done it would  have  made us sick I think. So it was worth  the extra cost.

[nannycoe1]

I used to be a collector but I had to get rid of a lot of things years ago because of a bad financial situation.

[alice44]

Start with one room or one small area and be sure to get rid of the stuff, don't just put it in another area.  As you slowly go at it, you will feel so much better about yourself, it will become easier.

[thoughtparticles]

With all due respect, the first problem is believing hoarding is a disease.  With it being labeled that, people are told that it's not their fault and that they can't help it.  It is sad to me that people are labeling stuff like this a disease.

With all due respect, "labeling" it a disease in no way communicates to people that it is not their fault and that they can't help it. When you have cat *bleep* throughout your living space and dead animal carcasses decaying in your bedroom and bottles of your own pee in the corner of your kitchen, it is not because you are lazy and a lousy housekeeper. That is not normal human behavior - it is a mental illness!!!

When you become violently agitated at the mere suggestion from a loved one that you throw away curdled milk or green moldy meat and you would rather your spouse or children completely sever their ties with you if it means you don't have to throw away baby clothes soaked in rat feces or stop using a bucket for a toilet because you haven't had running water in your house for six years - you have a mental illness!!!


Yes, I am using extreme examples and not all hoarders are this severe. But just trying to make my point once again that "disease" is not limited to those maladies brought on by viruses and bacteria. There is a big difference between someone who is lazy and someone who doesn't even realize that they are making completely irrational decisions because of a mental illness!!!

These people need therapy to fully understand the consequences of their actions. They need to see that they are at fault for the deplorable conditions in which they live and that they can change their circumstances if they accept help. Labeling it a disease doesn't give them a free pass to continue the patterns of behavior that made their living space so deplorable, but it does give them the tools to get the help they need to break free from the chains by seeking out the underlying root of their illness.

Those saying hoarding (in some cases) is NOT a mental illness has never dealt with a family member who actually sat and cried while you were taking their stinking household garbage to the street. I have. That has nothing to do with being lazy or a poor housekeeper... it's a mental illness. I agree, not every hoarder is mentally ill, there are varying degrees... but when you're incapable of parting with rotting garbage, you're well into mental illness.

[snuggleycutejc]

Keep in mind can't be a packrat, Say I don't have room for that at the store when you buy it.

[linderlizzie]

We all have mental issues to some degree. I don't know if I would categorize hoarding as a disease, per se.

That being said, I think one good rule of thumb is to look at any item you've had longer than one year and say to yourself, "Do I use this, or do I just love this, or could someone else perhaps like to have this since I don't use it?" Then make a decision to keep or throw away. That may help to some degree.

[ghunter]

Yes, it has always been a disease, get help now!

[catchow]

They call it a disease so they can charge more money for treating it.  I call it lazy and being a slob and not cleaning.   Sorry but that's the truth.

Wow are you taking over for your buddy jwkelly? you are just about as rude and uncaring as he is/was

[teresa3200]

I'm a hoarder too. I try to be good, but sometimes its just so hard. I do always feel good when I clean out a room and toss a bunch of stuff.