My neighbor's stuff...

[appalachiablue]

40. I've been shocked far worse by people's stuff that's not tangible or material like the items of this

man who was friendly, an animal lover and one who didn't seem to hurt anyone. Learning that seemingly normal, even likeable people were molesters of their own stepchildren, that they abused and neglected their wives or that they conned people out of their homes and retirement plans fraudulently while working as respectable professionals in investment banking is much more distressing to me than this man's visible problem, post mortem. The individuals were more psychologically sick than your neighbor whose possessions you unfortunately had to deal with.

Medical information and the TV shows indicate that most hoarders are on their own, or sometimes a couple. The majority have experienced a major loss that set off the buying habit- a death, divorce, separation or a loss of health from injury or disease. Going out to buy stuff and collecting it is a huge time filler for loneliness and something to look forward to. The inability to let go (even trash) or organize items relates to OCD and sometimes depression.

Hoarders can't be sent to a rehab hospital or Betty Ford Clinic to shape up. The problem involves the property, always. Usually the home circumstances become crisis level when the hoarder's safety or another's are at risk. Relatives enter the scene repulsed, concerned and on a deadline to resolve the situation and return to their lives. Sometimes the family, especially adult children and their spouses plan to sell the house asap for the money and consider the deterioration as impacting the proceeds which makes them angrier.

The hoarder often has to clear up the problem and the mess in a few weeks, because the prof. assistant is on the clock and the relatives don't want to deal with it anymore. It's pressure and unpleasant for everyone. Like finding a relative who's an undiagnosed diabetic, or very obese and giving them several weeks to completely turn around their condition by behavior adjustment, or else. Radically changing their diet, eliminating and adding foods, starting an intense exercise program, losing weight and measuring their b/p, blood sugar daily- with medical assistance of course. Not easy and not the best example but you get the over-made point, learned from life and work in health and disability areas.