Cisterns

“We are not cisterns made for hoarding, we are channels made for sharing.” (Billy Graham)

Hoarding is the compulsive collection of possessions accompanied by difficulty parting with them. This behavior can negatively impact many areas of a person’s life causing serious physical, social, emotional, financial, and legal problems. These collected items can include objects such as newspapers, food, clothing, boxes, photographs, plastic bags, household supplies, and magazines.

Collectors are usually well organized and have a sense of pride and joy associated with their possessions. They tend to budget carefully and don’t overextend themselves. In contrast, hoarders tend to be embarrassed about their hoarding, are disorganized, indecisive, and try to hide their possessions from others. They are secretive and feel sad, discouraged, and overwhelmed. They’re often in debt and feel sad after acquiring more items.

There are some commonalities among hoarders. While severe hoarding is most common in middle-aged adults around the age of 50, their hoarding tendencies began around ages 11 to 15. During these early teenage years, they typically saved broken toys, outdated school papers, and pencil nubs. Oftentimes hoarders struggle with severe indecisiveness and anxiety.

Although hoarding is not an entirely genetic disorder, there is some genetic predisposition involved in the disorder. Many hoarders experienced a stressful or traumatic event that propels them to hoard has a coping mechanism. Hoarders are often socially withdrawn and isolated, causing them to hoard as a way to find comfort. Here are generally recognized symptoms of hoarding:

·        Cluttered living spaces

·        Inability to discard items

·        Keeping stacks of newspapers, magazines, or junk mail

·        Moving items from one pile to another without discarding anything

·        Acquiring unneeded or seemingly useless items, including trash

·        Difficulty managing daily activities, procrastinating and trouble making decisions

·        Difficulty organizing items

·        Perfectionism

·        Excessive attachment to possessions and discomfort letting others touch or borrow possessions

·        Limited or no social interactions

Hoarding affects 4-percent of the population.   Approximately 70-percent of hoarders are women, who are single, divorced, widowed, or have suffered emotional trauma in their lives. Unless a hoarder receives treatment they have a 100-percent chance of relapsing. Symptoms of hording include severe anxiety when they or someone else discards or attempts to discard an item. Patients also experience difficulty organizing possessions and are indecisive, overwhelmed and embarrassed about their collection. They distrust others who try to help.

Obsessive compulsive thoughts plague them in regards to their possessions. They are afraid of throwing something away, and needing the item in the future. Other symptoms include pathways through their homes with possessions sometimes piled floor to ceiling, social and marital problems, health hazards and financial problems. Hoarders often have endured emotional trauma in their lives, such as abuse, divorce, or the death of a loved one.

People who hoard often live in hazardous conditions. Their homes are cluttered and filthy presenting both a fire and disease hazard. Hoarding causes anger and resentment in family members and can adversely affect the growth and emotional development of children. The most effective treatment for hoarders is the successful use of intensive cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Cats, dogs, and horses are animals typically collected by hoarders. They rescue these unwanted, unloved animals with the best of intentions. Hoarding gives these people the feeling that they are important and loved. In the United States 3,500 animal hoarders are reported yearly affecting at least 250,000 animals. Animal hoarders have the added danger of sick or dead animals which can spread disease to them. It is estimated that more than 80-percent of animal hoarders have diseased or dead animals on their properties.

Hoarders often neglect their own health, and often spend all their time, energy and money on hoarding or caring for their animals. They are often sleep deprived due to feeling overwhelmed by the great responsibility of caring for all the animals they have collected. Hoarders can also suffer from animal-borne diseases, fleas, ticks, and the problems associated with ammonia inhalation.

The animals are stressed, malnourished, and living in filthy, overcrowded conditions resulting in disease and death. Animal hoarders need to learn to replace their animals with caring human relationships. This can only be accomplished by the support of family and friends and with the help of a skilled therapist.

“When someone steals another's clothes, we call them a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat unused in your closet belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the one who has no shoes; the money which you hoard up belongs to the poor.” (Saint Basil) [i]

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[i] Sources used:

·        “8 Facts on the Physical, Social, and Emotional Impacts of Hoarding” By Debbie McGauran

·        “The Psychology behind Hoarding” by Gregory L. Jantz