According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), up to 5% of the world’s population displays symptoms of Hoarding Disorder. That would equal 4,5 Million people in Vietnam showing various signs of this not often talked about issue.
What is Hoarding Disorder?
Hoarding disorder is a persistent difficulty getting rid of or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them. Hoarders often exhibit the following:
– Inability to throw away possessions
– Severe anxiety when attempting to discard items
– Great difficulty categorizing or organizing possessions
– Indecision about what to keep or where to put things
– Suspicion of other people touching items
– Functional impairments, including social isolation
How To Know If You Or A Loved One Is A Hoarder?
Answer yes or no to the following questions. The more statements you strongly agree with; the greater the probability of a diagnosis of compulsive hoarding.
1. I will keep multiple copies of identical items. Just in case.
2. I feel ashamed by the state of my house.
3. My quantity of personal possessions causes family discord.
4. It is difficult to walk through certain areas of my house, due to the quantity of possessions.
5. There are certain rooms in my house that cannot be used as they were intended for, due to the amount of personal belongings stored within.
6. Sometimes when I throw something out, I later change my mind and retrieve it out of the garbage.
7. I often misplace items amongst the clutter.
8. I do not like to have visitors over to see the way I live.
9. I sometimes buy many copies of similar items, more than I need.
10. When I try to throw things out, I feel anxiety.
How To Help A Hoarder?
1. Educate Yourself on Hoarding (start here find similar page in VN)
2. Focus on the Person, Not the Stuff
3. Listen and Empathize
4. Set Reasonable Expectations
5. Recognize Positive Change
6. Volunteer to Help
7. Find Professional Help
==> Hoarding Disorders is a serious health issue that doesn’t get enough attention with little to no awareness. And we like to be very clear:
Mini storage is not a solution to hoarding!
Allowing a hoarder to have access to and use extra storage space will only make him or her store even more stuff. Hence self storage is not the answer. It can however be used to make the first step of parting with a certain type of items easier, but this should be managed by a trusted family member and not the hoarder him/herself.
Please find below some further helpful resources:
– https://hoardingicebreakerform.org/
– https://www.choosehelp.com/topics/anxiety/compulsive-hoarding-self-test
– https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/hoarding-basics