Because this is the NY Times, extra care is taken to outline helping a hoarder with his or her apartment. Meanwhile, back in the real world, outside of a big city like New York, a 1-year time-frame to evict a hoarder is just about unheard of. You can get rid of somebody in 30 days in many places, and 2 months would be the maximum for a small-time landlord who can't afford to lose that much income. The door is broken down, the sheriff goes in, finds the person, and drags them out. Then a crew is hired to put all the crap in trash bags, & out on the curb, or in a dumpster. Cleaners come in, clean the place, then it is re-rented. The hoarder and his or her problems? Not my problem says the landlord.
7
If the hoarding is part of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), Prozac or a similar antidepressant can bring relief from the extreme anxiety that drives the disorder. Once the chemical imbalance that causes inappropriately high levels of anxiety is dealt with, it is significantly easier for the person to work through these issues.
2
Not to nit-pick straight out of the gate, but shouldn't the first sentence be "Logistics ARE a big part of Brendan Keany’s job?"
Try it in another context:
"Bananas is my favorite fruit."
"The winds is blowing from the north."
Try it in another context:
"Bananas is my favorite fruit."
"The winds is blowing from the north."
5
In a previous Times article it was revealed that there are three kinds of hoarders: those who never throw out anything; those who throw away and the collectors, if I remember correctly. At the Goodwill store I frequent, you can tell the hoarders at the pay counter by the volume and kinds of stuff they buy and how they max out their credit or debit card, and most of all, the guilt, anxiousness and sadness on their face. And then, majority of us shoppers are hoarders to a degree. Buying quality stuff all the time because it's inexpensive and buying the same item three, four and five times over five years because you forgot you already bought it is sad. This is typically a book. One of these people learn how to sell these items on Amazon.com, half of them would be glad to do it and companies like Amazon and eBay should encourage and train them how to do it.
3
It's easy to find free stuff at curbside and even on Craigslist or there's also Freecycle online. Some hoarders pick through garbage bins. Some hoard animals --now that's really sad when there are innocent creatures involved. If you watch any of the hoarders reality shows you can learn that animal hoarders tend to let the animals defecate in the home and it never gets removed. It piles up. Some hoarders even hoard their own urine and feces in bottles or bags. Cleaning crews wear hazmat suits when the go in to assess and clean.
5
Whatever you do, don't get the cops involved.
No one deserves to get their head blown off because of a messy house.
No one deserves to get their head blown off because of a messy house.
1
I have a friend who buys tuna and grape juice when on sale. He has closets full. The cans are so old some are bursting with botulism already. He keeps buying more. What a sicko!
2
Fine piece, Kaya!
Giving credit where credit is due, no mention of our self-help group would be complete without a salute to founder Brenna. We worked together, co-facilitating the group for years, until her mother’s illness and subsequent passing led her back home to Oregon.
Giving credit where credit is due, no mention of our self-help group would be complete without a salute to founder Brenna. We worked together, co-facilitating the group for years, until her mother’s illness and subsequent passing led her back home to Oregon.
3
At least in New York, you have the satisfaction of knowing that if you throw something to the curb, if it's of any value or use to anyone, it will be picked up. I once threw out two large filing cabinets; in the middle of the night, a couple of African immigrants were outside dismantling them and putting them in a truck. My super later told me they sell them as scrap metal. A nice instance of entrepreneurs aiding the environment!
3
I hired a professional organizer who is scheduled to come into my home with her helper for an 8 hour session on 7/24/17. I have chronic disorganization. My organizer is Rachel Seavey and the podcasts from her website are so motivating that I've begun working on my home decluttering project myself. I am sooooo glad I asked for help. I'll spend an entire weekend decluttering. It's exhausting. I don't always get to a point where I can really clean because I spend so much time trying to put stuff away, too much stuff, way too much stuff. I have what The Fly Lady calls CHAOS. Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome. I'm looking forward to having company in a few months. I've enjoyed reading the comments here and I've found some great tips. I'm certain the clutter has served me by making me feel safe by keeping people out. I'm ready to change. I CANNOT DO THIS ALONE!!!!!
12
I'm trying to avoid crossing the line by buying less and donating more.
3
Hoarding fascinates me because I have what my family refers to "compulsive throwing out" disease, which while said in jest, I think has something to do with my own issues with clutter. It is true that if something is left in one place too long I tend to throw it out--especially papers. Although no one in my upbringing was a hoarder, I get horrific anxiety if there is visual clutter accumulating anywhere--to the point I can't function. So I spend my life beating back the clutter and annoying everyone in the process.
But you know what? While the house "always looks clean", clutter still sneaks up on us. Our drawers are not in perfect condition by any means and I don't always use everything I buy. I think for me, my ADHD tendencies contribute to buying things I don't need and then turning around and throwing things out if they appear to no longer have a use.
In my old age, I plan to live as I did before I married--in a small spartan studio. I was so happy in those days--had only what I needed and no more. For me, I think my ADHD tendencies drive my anxiety around wanting a clutter free environment---but none of it feels healthy.
Will also say--that I think hoarding as a phenomenon speaks to a greater thing in our culture--we are wealthy with material goods but poor in our connections and so we place way too much value on stuff.....
But you know what? While the house "always looks clean", clutter still sneaks up on us. Our drawers are not in perfect condition by any means and I don't always use everything I buy. I think for me, my ADHD tendencies contribute to buying things I don't need and then turning around and throwing things out if they appear to no longer have a use.
In my old age, I plan to live as I did before I married--in a small spartan studio. I was so happy in those days--had only what I needed and no more. For me, I think my ADHD tendencies drive my anxiety around wanting a clutter free environment---but none of it feels healthy.
Will also say--that I think hoarding as a phenomenon speaks to a greater thing in our culture--we are wealthy with material goods but poor in our connections and so we place way too much value on stuff.....
4
Today, I will purge my apartment of at least 3 things that I really have not used in more than 3 years.
2
Charles Foster Kane, the über-hoarder
1
My partner has been a hoarder since a severe depression 15 years ago. At her place, I have 1 side of the bed and less than 2 square feet on the kitchen table to work. I cannot feel good there and I don't know how to help her. Pressure just makes it worse. She knows she has a problem but it is just too much for her. I have threatened to break off the relationship, not to come to her place anymore etc. Nothing helps and the worst is, it makes her very unhappy to live in the mess. As she owns her place she is the land lord. I'm lost and have learned the hard way there are illnesses medicine cannot deal with.
13
I am afraid that, though it is no cure, the only approach is "tough love".
Either leave -- which I know is terribly hard -- or put your foot down. Get her out of the house, buy a few cartons of contractor-size garbage bags and get to work.
That's it. Or live with it. There are no other options.
Either leave -- which I know is terribly hard -- or put your foot down. Get her out of the house, buy a few cartons of contractor-size garbage bags and get to work.
That's it. Or live with it. There are no other options.
4
I'm not a hoarder, but I have wondered if Amazon and the ease of internet deliveries exacerbates the problem. Or the big box stores even.
Some people seem comfortable piling boxes of yet to be used items of food or whatnot. And piling stuff everywhere.
Doesn't it seem confusing, even suffocating - to have disorderly stuff?
Some people seem comfortable piling boxes of yet to be used items of food or whatnot. And piling stuff everywhere.
Doesn't it seem confusing, even suffocating - to have disorderly stuff?
3
But the point is, as you say -- YOU are not a hoarder.
For most people, the very idea of a hoarding environment is sickening -- claustrophobic -- disgusting -- would drive even the laziest of us to a massive cleanup project.
The hoarder either does not see it -- a kind of blindness -- OR they actually like it. They are comforted by having "all their stuff around".
For most people, the very idea of a hoarding environment is sickening -- claustrophobic -- disgusting -- would drive even the laziest of us to a massive cleanup project.
The hoarder either does not see it -- a kind of blindness -- OR they actually like it. They are comforted by having "all their stuff around".
3
Back in 2005 - when my wife and I were married - we received a very generous gift from her co-workers in the form of a gift certificate --
Moving into a nice apartment together - and already having purchased our furniture - we decided to use the funds to purchase a new TV set -- one of those large SONY 27-inch Trinitron analogue sets, which were considered state-of-the-art back then -
Little did we know that our purchase fell on the eve of the advent of the flat-screen TV - making our huge set obsolete almost overnight --
We continued to use the set for a number of years until we upgraded - and moved the big set to another little-used room where it sat until recently --
Unable to place the gargantuan for curbside trash collection due to recycling restrictions - a 311 operator suggested I call the Salvation Army --
About ten days later, two nice men arrived in a truck and carried out the old set - still in working condition -
I asked the men what they would do with the old TV set - and they said The Salvation Army would try to sell it in one of their thrift stores, and - failing that - it would be properly recycled --
And yes -- as the truck pulled away I did feel a slight twinge of nostalgia for the set - in front of which my wife and I spent time watching movies in the early days of our marriage --
But as the truck turned the corner - I looked at the big empty space now available, and - as I dusted it off - began thinking about what we could now put there...
Moving into a nice apartment together - and already having purchased our furniture - we decided to use the funds to purchase a new TV set -- one of those large SONY 27-inch Trinitron analogue sets, which were considered state-of-the-art back then -
Little did we know that our purchase fell on the eve of the advent of the flat-screen TV - making our huge set obsolete almost overnight --
We continued to use the set for a number of years until we upgraded - and moved the big set to another little-used room where it sat until recently --
Unable to place the gargantuan for curbside trash collection due to recycling restrictions - a 311 operator suggested I call the Salvation Army --
About ten days later, two nice men arrived in a truck and carried out the old set - still in working condition -
I asked the men what they would do with the old TV set - and they said The Salvation Army would try to sell it in one of their thrift stores, and - failing that - it would be properly recycled --
And yes -- as the truck pulled away I did feel a slight twinge of nostalgia for the set - in front of which my wife and I spent time watching movies in the early days of our marriage --
But as the truck turned the corner - I looked at the big empty space now available, and - as I dusted it off - began thinking about what we could now put there...
5
I've never been able to muster nostalgia for an appliance.
1
Hoarding is often one of the symptoms of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), and SSRI (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) antidepressant medication can bring relief from the extreme anxiety that drives the disorder. Once the chemical imbalance that causes inappropriately high levels of anxiety is dealt with, it is significantly easier for the person to work through these issues. Many hoarders who consult a medical professional may find this avenue of treatment very helpful.
12
I agree, that would help many hoarders (but not all). However...hoarding is one of those awful mental conditions where the patient DOES NOT FEEL they have a problem. They see the problem as all the other unkind, judgmental folks out there who are trying to MAKE THEM get rid of their "stuff" and clean up.
Therefore, they don't seek treatment, and if forced to get treatment, they don't follow instructions. If given meds, they don't take them.
You must WANT help to get help. They do NOT want help.
Therefore, they don't seek treatment, and if forced to get treatment, they don't follow instructions. If given meds, they don't take them.
You must WANT help to get help. They do NOT want help.
5
I come from a family of pack rats (that's a few rungs below hoarding) but had seen since living in New York many examples to varying degrees of hoarding. To psyche myself, I remember binge-watching "Hoarders," which got me going.
The funny thing was, the more I was throwing things away, the easier it got. The sad thing for me has been that I can find no place in New York that accepts books. Believe me, I've tried. With no alternative, I've thrown out over the past few years probably 20 cartons of books.
The funny thing was, the more I was throwing things away, the easier it got. The sad thing for me has been that I can find no place in New York that accepts books. Believe me, I've tried. With no alternative, I've thrown out over the past few years probably 20 cartons of books.
14
We donated boxes of books to our local library when we moved cross country. I assumed all libraries accept them.
2
Try Bookoff in Midtown or a used bookstore like Afterwords. Also, get in touch with a prison library charity-- they do have restrictions on topics/content, but always need books.
In Vancouver there are adhoc mini book exchanges in neighbourhoods...they look like big bird houses...on a corner...you put in a few books. People help themselves. It is like a micromini library. Either return the books or replace them. Could be an idea to avoid discarding books. Or call it free cycle. Of course being the Wet Coast the mini libraries need to be rain proof.
1
I hang on to things that I feel would be useful to someone else. I hate good things landing up in the landfill. I used to put a lot of this kind of stuff on Freecycle but the moderator quit and the group has closed down.
My accumulation has not reached the proportion in your article because I make myself discard these useful things every few months even though my heart breaks and I feel guilty ever time I do this.
I wish that every village or town had a place where one could bring things that others could pick up for free and what remains would be hauled away to the landfill.
My accumulation has not reached the proportion in your article because I make myself discard these useful things every few months even though my heart breaks and I feel guilty ever time I do this.
I wish that every village or town had a place where one could bring things that others could pick up for free and what remains would be hauled away to the landfill.
3
If you feel an object can be useful to someone, offer it to someone or a few people who might be appropriate. If they don't want it, pitch it.
3
Meenal,
St. Louis has an active freecycle group where you can list. Perhaps you can list several items at once so people outside Quincy find the drive worthwhile.
Another option is for you to revive the Quincy freecycle group. Surely there are others in your city interested in listing/obtaining freecycle items. Or advertise in the free section of craigslist.
St. Louis has an active freecycle group where you can list. Perhaps you can list several items at once so people outside Quincy find the drive worthwhile.
Another option is for you to revive the Quincy freecycle group. Surely there are others in your city interested in listing/obtaining freecycle items. Or advertise in the free section of craigslist.
Take many photos of each sentimental item. Recycle those items at a thrift shop. Then hoard the photos!
13
This is how I got my mother to clear out her house after my father died. I took photos of all of our pictures and paintings that used to be on the fridge. I scanned all my fathers "important" papers. I showed her how inexpensive new light bulbs, screws/nails, and glass jars are if she needs to buy new ones. .... and out everything went!
It can be difficult to let go of things, but it's much more difficult to be burdened with things that serve no purpose.
21
Would love to see more science research on this subject, including strategies hoarders can use to help themselves. I understand the pull to hold onto things -- for me, it's all about the memories attached to the items. For example, just when I'm ready to throw out an old dress, I'll remember the fun date I had wearing it, and fear throwing it away will bury that memory (as I never would have thought of it had I not seen that dress again). Old clothes transport me to the time and place where I was wearing them. I feel there may be some kind of insecurity or clinging to the past associated with this; would love to understand it more. One thing that is clear is this has nothing to do with consumerism.
19
I take photos of items that spark sentimental memories. I can go back and have that memory without having to store the item.
17
My grandmother and mother made quilts of old dresses. I still have quilts made by these two women, some sewn over 75 years ago, from dresses the women in my family wore - mother, aunts, grandmother, and, of course, my sister and me. Other family members also have these wonderful quilts, true family treasures full of memories and love.
10
What a great way to deal with old memories!
2
Recollection of clearing-out mother-in-law's apartment in NYC soon after Katrina - vivid memory because professionals who directly helped me were just back from months in NOLA and said her apartment much worse than anything they saw there - some situation are just not amenable to "talk-therapy"...
20
True hoarding is extremely hard to treat, because the hoarder does NOT WANT HELP. They like living this way. They don't see a problem -- it's YOU who has the problem. You can't get effective help, if you do not want help and do not see a problem.
You cannot simply talk a hoarder out of hoarding, by explaining that "it's not healthful" or telling them they have a problem. It just doesn't work.
You cannot simply talk a hoarder out of hoarding, by explaining that "it's not healthful" or telling them they have a problem. It just doesn't work.
5
There are hoarders and there are people like me who just aren't good at organizing. Thank you to the city workers, building managers, and landlords who approach hoarding with compassion and understanding. People don't realize how destructive judgment calls can be.
39
Dollar stores have storage containers in every size and shape. I've gone in there and just bought containers without figuring out what they would be for until I got home.
2
When we moved about 10 years ago, we didn't think we had much stuff, so we asked our kids to throw out what they thought we wouldn't need. 3 LARGE dumpsters later, we're free of all that clutter. PLUS, we got rid of the TV, and didn't miss it for about 2 years. The TV was critical- it gave us time to do more things, instead of watching the same old same old....
THROW OUT YOUR TV.
THROW OUT YOUR TV.
31
I just don't get it! I know a half a dozen hoarders right now - all of them intelligent women who seem 'normal' and well-adjusted but who live in clutter, debris and sometimes filth. They seem oblivious to the sights and smells, vigorously defend their 'stuff' and keep adding to the piles. How can an otherwise clean and neat person live in such disorder and grime? If I lived in multi-unit housing and found a hoarder in the building, I would blow the whistle in a heart beat. It's a fire hazard as well as a health hazard. I'm not going to risk my family for someone else's 'feelings' - illness or not.
30
Sometimes people have an undiagnosed or untreated condition that complicates the issue. Those same, bright women could suffer from Adult ADHD or from some untreated trauma. Try not to judge prematurely.
12
I definitely will judge as soon as possible if doing so will prevent my home from being burned to the ground unnecessarily because someone's hoarding is a fire hazard. When it comes to my life, my physical safety and having a home, another person's mental illness is his problem, not mine.
10
Also vermin. Piles of food containers and just stuff in general are havens for roaches, mice and rats and whatever else can get inside the apartment.
3
If you're looking to get rid of stuff, advertise it on FreeCycle. Someone else who can use it will pick it up.
7
We put our old stuff in front of our house on the lawn with a sign saying, "Free to a good home." Within an hour, and usually less, it's gone! But we live in an older residential part of town where people "re-purpose" things all the time. Weekends work best.
10
I think hoarding fascinates all of us.
People do get defensive about having their possessions moved and or thrown away.
In most municipalities in California, I cannot speak for all, that can afford it, they will have a bi annual free removal of junk and or free dumping at the city dump - furniture et all.
The cities encourage recycling and donating furniture but they also encourage people to clean out their homes by offering free dumping services.
It really helps. Often the resident ends up inline on a street for an hour waiting to get into the dump site, but it works.
Apartment owners could do that too. It cuts down on potential fire hazards by helping tenants eliminate all kinds of stuff at once.
People do get defensive about having their possessions moved and or thrown away.
In most municipalities in California, I cannot speak for all, that can afford it, they will have a bi annual free removal of junk and or free dumping at the city dump - furniture et all.
The cities encourage recycling and donating furniture but they also encourage people to clean out their homes by offering free dumping services.
It really helps. Often the resident ends up inline on a street for an hour waiting to get into the dump site, but it works.
Apartment owners could do that too. It cuts down on potential fire hazards by helping tenants eliminate all kinds of stuff at once.
19
I always wonder when does a messy or cluttered home become a hoarding situation? Is the resident aware of the progression and can something be done before the home reaches the point of no return. I inherited hoarder tendencies so I don't go to thrift shops or dollar stores. If I need something from Target or Bed Bath, I get the needed item and refrain from mindlessly roaming the aisles loading a shopping cart. I wonder if that is sufficient though. I don't want to end up with a home packed to the ceilings with bags of stuff like my mother's home. Scary.
26
I've recently learned that you can order stuff from Target online and can avoid the shipping fees by picking it up in the store. You arrive (about 2 hours after you ordered), and all your things are at the service desk. You can fetch them and you're on your way in no time at all!
9
Walmart does this now, too.
@Lynn: simply the fact that you recognize what hoarding is, see it in your family and have goal not to go there...means you are not a hoarder. Just as wondering if you are schizophrenic is pretty well proof you are NOT...because you have to ability to question and evaluate your own behavior.
The TV shows on hoarding explain it very well: hoarding is not merely messiness, or lots of collectables. It is when people deliberately save and compile large masses of things that are dirty, spoiled, unsafe, unusable and unsanitary.
So Grandma's vast collection of china elves, no matter how annoying, does not make her a hoarder. She is a hoarder if she has old, crumbling newspapers piled to the ceiling, or hundreds of soiled adult diapers in the bathroom -- if she can't walk safely through her house -- if she keeps mountains of spoiled food in the refrigerator, which she can't bear to throw out because "it might still be good!".
That's a hoarder.
The TV shows on hoarding explain it very well: hoarding is not merely messiness, or lots of collectables. It is when people deliberately save and compile large masses of things that are dirty, spoiled, unsafe, unusable and unsanitary.
So Grandma's vast collection of china elves, no matter how annoying, does not make her a hoarder. She is a hoarder if she has old, crumbling newspapers piled to the ceiling, or hundreds of soiled adult diapers in the bathroom -- if she can't walk safely through her house -- if she keeps mountains of spoiled food in the refrigerator, which she can't bear to throw out because "it might still be good!".
That's a hoarder.
4
My sister was estranged from me (her choice, not mine) I think because she was ashamed of her hoarding. We lived in different cities and she had no family or friends near her. She was intelligent, attractive and very well employed and her co workers said she was an excellent co worker. I found out about her hoarding because she died unexpectedly. My family and I traveled to where she lived to clean out her apartment. She had hundreds of things she had bought and never used, many were never taken out of the box. It was one of the worst experiences of my life and six years later I still feel awful that she was living like that and had no help. I also know there is little I could have done to change her. I have learned a lot about hoarding and applaud the professionals who try to help. It can be a very frustrating illness to treat.
61
How do hoarders have the money to buy so much that they then hoard?
9
My sister's neighbor across the way hoards inside and outside her home, and even stored bags of raw garbage which she collects from around the neighborhood. She refuses to stop. One of her autos is filled with garbage which she rides around with, and had to pay the township a considerable fine for the clean up that had to be done surrounding her house and the house next door where she is piling up additional garbage bags. A wall of flies and other vermin, no doubt feeding off the junk, is just criminal, or it should be.
7
Wealth is no guarantee of mental stability ... if you haven't noticed.
13
Ellen, have you noticed what the average hoarder hoards? Junk.
6
Certainly when reading this article one gets the nature of what it is about especially with these pictures. With that said I know a lot of folks who have tidy clean homes etc , but simply cannot get rid of numerous things. We then joke about it, he or she can't throw anything away or donate such items as clothes, maybe a piece of furniture you have replaced, lots of boxes with stuff in them you may have even lost track of. These people don't seem ill to me they just have personal reasons why they keep everything or even send it to storage, as the basement or garage is full.
9
Our 250 unit condo has been the home to several hoarders, and yes, it usually comes to light either through the semi-annual convector inspections or from a crisis - leaks, bugs or smells.
Other explanations are offered (it's worth money, it's still good, I might need it later, someone might need it later) but I think it really comes down to anxiety and depression.
We had a situation with a single guy that everyone tried to help by being supportive, listening, giving advice. And he liked to be listened to, he liked to be supported, he liked hearing your advice. But he wasn't changing and it grew worse and worse for the people who lived around him. As nice as we were to him - he did not care about anyone else. Nice was not working.
What broke the log-jam was that he complained about US! We were harassing him with our constant demands for access to his apartment. The County declared his apartment uninhabitable and evicted him for a week while they cleared it all out. I felt sorry for him - we all felt sorry for him. It took a few months but he's back to roaming the building late at night, stock-piling newspapers and magazines, fishing out half used bottles of this and that, and hauling broken furniture and what-nots back to his apartment.
Other explanations are offered (it's worth money, it's still good, I might need it later, someone might need it later) but I think it really comes down to anxiety and depression.
We had a situation with a single guy that everyone tried to help by being supportive, listening, giving advice. And he liked to be listened to, he liked to be supported, he liked hearing your advice. But he wasn't changing and it grew worse and worse for the people who lived around him. As nice as we were to him - he did not care about anyone else. Nice was not working.
What broke the log-jam was that he complained about US! We were harassing him with our constant demands for access to his apartment. The County declared his apartment uninhabitable and evicted him for a week while they cleared it all out. I felt sorry for him - we all felt sorry for him. It took a few months but he's back to roaming the building late at night, stock-piling newspapers and magazines, fishing out half used bottles of this and that, and hauling broken furniture and what-nots back to his apartment.
32
I recently moved to a large apartment bldg. Meeting a neighbor around my age was great. She was friendly, dressed well, intelligent. We would talk in the hallway or on the elevator. One day I cut myself and had no band-aids. I knocked on her door. I didn't even know what I was looking at. Floor to ceiling stuff with a small pathway. I waited outside but she could not find a band-aid. Now I try and avoid her. Not because of me but I don't want to make her feel bad that I saw this. Very sad.
16
What I find sad is your avoiding her. She opened the door to help you. If she was truly ashamed, I think she wouldn't have answered. You say you get along with her, you seem to like her. If you now ignore her, don't you think she will feel worse? We are all complex people. Perhaps she could use a friend who doesn't judge. I hope you re-think this.
84
She will not feel bad or sad, it is perfectly natural for her to have the junk and garbage, which is the problem in a nutshell.
11
I think it's highly likely the hoarder neighbor does feel bad and sad. Those feelings are there along with umpteen others. I think your point is that her hoarded stuff assuages her feeling. No doubt. I like to keep in the forefront that this is a mental illness, hoarders are broken souls that need to learn to love themselves. I have chronic disorganization. I have some similar problems. Yes, keep bugging those neighbors in a friendly way. Don't try to fix them or complete them --that's an entirely different mental illness. Say hello, be in touch. Be a neighbor.
6
Some of my clutter problems are unread sections of The New York Times!
51
Check the dates. Some articles really don't have to be kept forever ( I KNOW!) plus the fact that if you are even minimally computer literate, you can probably find them again online. Just list titles dates,etc.
6
I also have a problem throwing away things, but it's likely just a cultural phenomenon based on the common understanding that wasting resources is bad (I am swedish). I have no problem throwing away things as long as I am convinced that someone else might still find a use for them. I live in Germany and they have a great recycling system that covers almost everything. But still functional items has to be disposed together with nonfunctional items. In these cases I try to bring the still functional item back to Sweden (when visiting relatives). In Sweden they have a neat system of non-profit second hand stores where you can leave any old things and they'll try to sell them for a small sum and then use the money for some charatible cause. As I was living in China I even asked my relatives to bring still functional items back to Sweden as the Chinese frown upon second hand items. But that was probably not ecologically justified given the additional carbon emissions caused by the transport.
23
LOL, Americans have that "neat system of non-profit second hand stores" -- Goodwill and Salvation Army, among others!
It's hardly a new idea.
It's hardly a new idea.
2
Hoarding and OCD behaviors are related.
I have OCD, and it manifests itself in a dual way. My daily routine involves cleaning and tidying up chores. This is both out of necessity and to maintain a calm self.
On the other hand, I am a reluctant thrower outer. I don't hate throwing things out but the things live on after I throw them out. And letting go is the hardest thing sometimes. It involves feelings of regret, guilt and loss. And I have been known to retrieve things from the garbage to take them back in.
The book by Marie Kondo has been helpful to me, especially the act of saying good bye to something before throwing it out, to let go. And thanking the item for its service.
Learning to love tidying up and letting go of the items that we no longer need or can keep, is the best tonic for a tortured soul, because it frees us from the chains that keep us from enjoying the present and looking towards the future.
I have OCD, and it manifests itself in a dual way. My daily routine involves cleaning and tidying up chores. This is both out of necessity and to maintain a calm self.
On the other hand, I am a reluctant thrower outer. I don't hate throwing things out but the things live on after I throw them out. And letting go is the hardest thing sometimes. It involves feelings of regret, guilt and loss. And I have been known to retrieve things from the garbage to take them back in.
The book by Marie Kondo has been helpful to me, especially the act of saying good bye to something before throwing it out, to let go. And thanking the item for its service.
Learning to love tidying up and letting go of the items that we no longer need or can keep, is the best tonic for a tortured soul, because it frees us from the chains that keep us from enjoying the present and looking towards the future.
71
I agree; I have also found the Marie Kondo books, and her little "good-by socks" ceremony, helpful. I have also found her folding methods helpful for rearranging things, especially clothes.
12
All I know is that I rather have a compulsive hoarder living across the street from me than the 2, maybe 3 illegal alien families living in a home designed for one. Besides creating a fire hazard with so many people living in one home half the street is filled with their cars and at least 4 of their children go to the local school district for free. One wonders how much of my school taxes are educating children who should not be in the school district let alone the country.
So bring on the hoarders. They don't cause my taxes to go up.
So bring on the hoarders. They don't cause my taxes to go up.
13
An article about hoarders stimulates a rant against "illegal aliens?"
"So bring on the hoarders. They don't cause my taxes to go up."
Actually, tax studies show undocumented families usually have several undocumented workers. These studies, time after time and not region-dependent, show the phenomenon is a net economic benefit to the local and national economy.
Facts, not propagandist, hegemonic, reaction.
"So bring on the hoarders. They don't cause my taxes to go up."
Actually, tax studies show undocumented families usually have several undocumented workers. These studies, time after time and not region-dependent, show the phenomenon is a net economic benefit to the local and national economy.
Facts, not propagandist, hegemonic, reaction.
112
Clearly you've never lived next to a hoarder.
29
Actually, about $12 Billion per year is put in an account at the Social Security Administration - funds that undocumented workers don't collect.
33
I was a professional cleaner that did (among other things) work like this. I agree with the article that we're not an ideal choice if the occupant is alive and in there. Those folks need help. Professional mental help, that comes from trained and very patient people.
In my experience, hoarding is just a symptom. There's something else in these peoples lives that necessitates hoarding as a means of reestablishing control. They deserve our compassion and understanding. I understand that can be really hard to do when roaches keep sneaking into the apartments next door, though.
In my experience, hoarding is just a symptom. There's something else in these peoples lives that necessitates hoarding as a means of reestablishing control. They deserve our compassion and understanding. I understand that can be really hard to do when roaches keep sneaking into the apartments next door, though.
67
As one considers making needed changes to effect "hoarding," ( a negative term). excessive collecting ( a description associated with a value/valence, etc., it is useful to consider the following parameters. Meaning(s) for the person of the object.What inner and external resources are needed to enable the goal to be both achieved as well as sustained over times? For whom is the targeted goal acceptable, or not? Both the existing "barriers" to change and the necessary enabling "bridges" are not the same for the targeted person, who, most recently has been labeled as a mentally ill person, and the actual/potential individual as well as systemic interveners, whose metal health and agendas may not be known? Who chooses the targeted goal? "Hoarding" is more than just a word, term, process, concept, etc.
5
This reminds me of the old tale about feuding chiefdoms in the Serengeti plains who had homes made of mere grass and thatch, but who constructed wonderfully ornate thrones to demonstrate their wealth. When one chiefdom conquered another, the victor would take their magnificent throne as a trophy, and store it in the upper floor in their thatch palace.
One kingdom became too successful for its own good, when one day the weight of all those confiscated thrones proved too much for their palace to sustain, and they all came crashing down, obliterating the king and his retinue.
It's where we get that wise old saying, "those who live in grass houses shouldn't stow thrones".
One kingdom became too successful for its own good, when one day the weight of all those confiscated thrones proved too much for their palace to sustain, and they all came crashing down, obliterating the king and his retinue.
It's where we get that wise old saying, "those who live in grass houses shouldn't stow thrones".
91
Maybe inappropriate for a serious topic, but still got me laughing. I do love puns.
11
Thanks Bob, and I find that it's important to hang onto the funny side of things. Had to think about the appropriateness, but I think it's fairly inoffensive.
13
Funny!
1
Sometimes I feel I have a hoarding problem it is scary. I find it hard to give away my clothes and occasionally buy them so my closets are full sometimes I cannot find what I need in a hurry. I don't like resale shops for you get a fraction of the price you paid no matter if they're in pristine condition. Then fashion always comes back....I guess the only solution is to bring my clothes shopping to a complete halt - bad for the economy but good for my retirement account and pick up a new hobby. Understand though that I dress for myself and not for anyone else. Boredom sets in...etc.
16
Selling is rarely worth the effort unless you have fancy designer brands less than 2 years old....much better to DONATE to a worthy cause that will make you feel good. A good rule of thumb I try to follow is: buy a pair of shoes, donate a pair of shoes. Fashion may come back, but few of us wear the same size 20 years later. Find entertainment other than shopping--take a dance class, join a book group, volunteer with children or senior citizens. You CAN take control of your life and habits.
20
If you live in New York, you must be not too far from one of those bins that take donations of any clean clothes. I think they recycle/resell what can be, and the rest are sold to be pulped, possibly to be made into paper products.
1
DE: actually you bring up a good point -- a thought process that dominates and controls hoarders -- and that's the idea that "stuff is really valuable" -- when it provably is NOT.
No matter how much you paid for your clothing, it has almost no value used. That's why resale shops pay so little. Even the IRS won't let you deduct more than a token sum for donated clothing -- even designer items.
The reason for that is...cooties. Once you bring a garment home, take the tags off and wear it....it has cooties. (I don't mean literal bugs, I mean the sense that it's touched your body and is not longer "new".)
And nobody will pay much for that. It's just a fact. Your clothing is not worth much -- probably not worth ANYTHING, unless a fancy designer or new with tags and even then, maybe 10-15% of original price.
You need to accept this. No, fashions do NOT come back -- some general styles go in and out, but always in a different way. If you wore clothes from the 70s or 80s, you'd look nuts. Don't go there.
It is proven that most people only wear about 10% of the items in their closets. Outside of a few sentimental items, the rest is just out of style junk and NOT WORTH ANYTHING. Get rid of it. If it helps you, read the Marie Kondo books about tidying up -- say goodbye, pack it in a plastic bag and send it to the Goodwill or Salvation Army.
No matter how much you paid for your clothing, it has almost no value used. That's why resale shops pay so little. Even the IRS won't let you deduct more than a token sum for donated clothing -- even designer items.
The reason for that is...cooties. Once you bring a garment home, take the tags off and wear it....it has cooties. (I don't mean literal bugs, I mean the sense that it's touched your body and is not longer "new".)
And nobody will pay much for that. It's just a fact. Your clothing is not worth much -- probably not worth ANYTHING, unless a fancy designer or new with tags and even then, maybe 10-15% of original price.
You need to accept this. No, fashions do NOT come back -- some general styles go in and out, but always in a different way. If you wore clothes from the 70s or 80s, you'd look nuts. Don't go there.
It is proven that most people only wear about 10% of the items in their closets. Outside of a few sentimental items, the rest is just out of style junk and NOT WORTH ANYTHING. Get rid of it. If it helps you, read the Marie Kondo books about tidying up -- say goodbye, pack it in a plastic bag and send it to the Goodwill or Salvation Army.
1
Yup, I am a mild life long hoarder. A spinal cord injury 3 years ago has meant adding trash to my hoarding, sprinkled all over the floor. Good thing I am not a renter!
Through a lot of pain that overrides any embarrassment, I am slowly regaining some control over "stuff."
Through a lot of pain that overrides any embarrassment, I am slowly regaining some control over "stuff."
20
Some years ago, I was the neighbor of a hoarder who had a beautiful collection of antiques and artworks next to rotten pans, broken glass, smelly piles of newspapers, and such things. She could clearly diagnose her own behavior, her parents, holocaust survivors, were jewelers. They got robbed after they established their new business in the New World. Her ingrained fear of the potentially getting betrayed made it extremely difficult for her to let go of anything that might have a yet unrealized value. Only after establishing a very personal relationship to a potential buyer she reluctantly sold the one or other piece of her immense collection.
I often thought that many billionaires and their money hoarding behavior might have a common root. The unwillingness to let go of something they will never really use up in their life, the fear of being taken advantage of, the mistrust of people who don’t have what they have, the refusal of contributing to the common good without total control of who will benefit from it does not look very different to me. The fact that it is money that is hoarded here does not make a big difference. If it is not used in an overall beneficial manner it is not more valuable than a smelly pile of old and rotten newspaper.
I often thought that many billionaires and their money hoarding behavior might have a common root. The unwillingness to let go of something they will never really use up in their life, the fear of being taken advantage of, the mistrust of people who don’t have what they have, the refusal of contributing to the common good without total control of who will benefit from it does not look very different to me. The fact that it is money that is hoarded here does not make a big difference. If it is not used in an overall beneficial manner it is not more valuable than a smelly pile of old and rotten newspaper.
137
This is a really interesting insight. I've known about hoarders but never connected that condition with that of some greedy rich people. Makes sense to me!
50
Remember Scrooge McDuck?
1
In my weird experience of trying to adopt a dog, I ran into many of these types of people whose personalities you described so well. After reading my extensive online application, one called meto areange a meeting so she could determine whether or not she had a suitable dog for me. I quickly realized I had been sucked into the orbit of someone seriously disordered when she suggested I come to her town and she could assess me personally. I live in NYC, she lived in Syracuse. She was well aware of that, but believed it was reasonable for me to travel that distance to be interviewed. I knew the poor woman wouldn't ever relinquish one of the animals she was hoarding, in spite of her earnest-sounding plea that they all needed good homes. Or rather, perfect homes. This was long before there were tv shows and magazine articles about hoarding.
1
I don't consider myself a hoarder but I am a not-throw-away-er. As an 80 year-old widower, I have failed to empty out far too much accumulation. When will I start? I don't know. The good intentions are killing me.
31
I have a studio apartment with two good size closets. Last fall I finally decided to go thru the boxes in the closets to see what I wanted to keep. I found stuff I didn't even remember I had. It was fun like a treasure hunt. There is a Goodwill near me and I hauled books, videos and clothes there. I'm no hoarder but I was surprised by how much stuff I accumulated over the years. I was reminded of George Carlin's routine called Stuff.
48
Hoarding covered all class and income. I know two in my own community. Both professionals. I have begged them to "pitch" for safety's sake. Hasn't worked yet and no family members available.
13
If 5% of the population are "horders" I have to wonder if just a different set of preferences are being labeled as a psychiatric disorder. I dont dispute the extreme cases. But I have seen this label applied to people that like to keep SOME things for possible later reuse or as memories of their life.
Perhaps, to only slightly misuse an earlier psychiatric classification, too many psychologists are "anal retentive".
Perhaps, to only slightly misuse an earlier psychiatric classification, too many psychologists are "anal retentive".
13
Did you see the photos in the article? That anyone could live in such unsanitary chaos and likely bacterial or insect infestation is clearly beyond OK. Its a hazard to everyone living in the same building. It becomes everyones problem even though the hoarder/collector/ thrifty person or whatever you want to call them is rationalizing it away.
2
Then you are not listening or reading, because even the TV shows which have made the term popular (Hoarding and Hoarding: Buried Alive) have disclaimers, which correctly state that hoarding is when people accumulate vast quantities of things that are filthy, unsafe, unsanitary, spoiled, broken or unusable.
It is NOT THE SAME as just having a lot of collections, or being a messy housekeeper -- not at all. A lot of people mix up those things, because messiness offends them or they dislike that relative's collectables.
But saving thousands of Beanie babies is NOT hoarding, no matter how irritating. It is the person who saves thousands of filthy yogurt cups, or won't throw out rusted cans of outdated food, that are bulging and clearly showing signs of botulism. It is the person who has mountains of crumbling newspapers, or soggy wet magazines, or mildewed spoiled clothing piled to the ceiling -- things that are very clearly unusable and can't even be reached. I've seen hoarders who were saving soiled adult diapers -- hundreds and hundreds of them.
Watch a few of the TV shows before you make a judgment like that. This is NOT normal nor healthy behavior.
It is NOT THE SAME as just having a lot of collections, or being a messy housekeeper -- not at all. A lot of people mix up those things, because messiness offends them or they dislike that relative's collectables.
But saving thousands of Beanie babies is NOT hoarding, no matter how irritating. It is the person who saves thousands of filthy yogurt cups, or won't throw out rusted cans of outdated food, that are bulging and clearly showing signs of botulism. It is the person who has mountains of crumbling newspapers, or soggy wet magazines, or mildewed spoiled clothing piled to the ceiling -- things that are very clearly unusable and can't even be reached. I've seen hoarders who were saving soiled adult diapers -- hundreds and hundreds of them.
Watch a few of the TV shows before you make a judgment like that. This is NOT normal nor healthy behavior.
3
Shame is a huge obstacle, TV shows that sensationalize this behavior further marginalize these people and the condition. I'm a home stager and see this all the time. Agreed there is not one profile/rationale. Excellent article, am heartened by even better comments, genuinely helpful, thank you!! BOTH will be prominent resources in my upcoming workshops.
25
For me at least, watching "Hoarders" provided the impetus to start getting vicious about throwing out stuff.
3
Management might help by installing a lending library, encouraging people to donate books, and having a spring cleaning event with recycling bins and donation bins. They could specifically ask for fabric donations and art supply donations in separate bins and then offer them to local schools. They could bring in an Ebay contractor who might be able to help residents sell stuff.
A big building could also have vacuum cleaners and a wet dry vacuum that tenants can check out. They could arrange for a cleaning service that residents could sign up for -- maybe the first 2 hours a month could be paid by management.
A big building could also have vacuum cleaners and a wet dry vacuum that tenants can check out. They could arrange for a cleaning service that residents could sign up for -- maybe the first 2 hours a month could be paid by management.
56
Excellent, pragmatic ideas. Perhaps you should think of going into government...?!
11
One problem is that in true hoarding situations, the stuff is so musty, moldy, stinky or insect infested that it is not worth donating.
1
This requires not just manpower, but an enormous outlay of someone else's money. And experience shows that true hoarders dont merely have a little problem with tidying up. No one keeps roomfulls of 30 year old newspapers (and much worse) because they just havent gotten around to throwing them out.
2
I have some hoarding tendencies. Giving to charity helps. If I haven't used something in a long time, and it is easy to replace, I pass it on. As I get older and I look for things, sometimes I can't remember if I still have it, or if I gave it away. I have reached the stage in life when many of the things in my life will last longer than me.
49
Some people may have physical ailments that make them too weak or physically awkward to do everyday chores. As clutter builds, pride may prevent them from asking for help, especially if their financial and medical resources are too limited to cover the expense of paying for the help they need in a timely way.
81
Some hoarders are elderly -- or frail or disabled -- they can no longer do the physical labor of sorting their things. If the hoarding is bad enough that rooms cannot be entered safely -- or rubbish piled to the ceilings (very common) -- then they literally CANNOT physically remove the stuff themselves.
Also a few have dementia, at least the early stages -- so they can't see how bad things have gotten. Their minds are gone.
But in reality...95% of hoarders are not frail, sick, elderly, handicapped nor have dementia. They are relatively young, perfectly healthy and fit -- most are NOT shut-ins or "crazy people" -- but professionals you know and work with. They just are lazy or can't get motivated to do the hard work of cleaning, and their mental illness prevents them from even wanting to get rid of actual garbage or vermin.
The worst hoarder I know personally is a neighbor -- a lovely, educated professional woman whose home is otherwise beautiful (a large brick Tudor) but she has destroyed it with decades of hoarding. It was a terrible shock to see her home for the first time, as the lady herself is stylish and dressed nicely -- had a high level career and now, a comfortable retirement with a good pension. There is no physical or mental reason for her hoarding, and it started when she was in her late 30s. By this point, it is rubbish and filth piled 30 years deep. I suspect she will die at some point, buried in the garbage in her home and the home will have to be bulldozed.
Also a few have dementia, at least the early stages -- so they can't see how bad things have gotten. Their minds are gone.
But in reality...95% of hoarders are not frail, sick, elderly, handicapped nor have dementia. They are relatively young, perfectly healthy and fit -- most are NOT shut-ins or "crazy people" -- but professionals you know and work with. They just are lazy or can't get motivated to do the hard work of cleaning, and their mental illness prevents them from even wanting to get rid of actual garbage or vermin.
The worst hoarder I know personally is a neighbor -- a lovely, educated professional woman whose home is otherwise beautiful (a large brick Tudor) but she has destroyed it with decades of hoarding. It was a terrible shock to see her home for the first time, as the lady herself is stylish and dressed nicely -- had a high level career and now, a comfortable retirement with a good pension. There is no physical or mental reason for her hoarding, and it started when she was in her late 30s. By this point, it is rubbish and filth piled 30 years deep. I suspect she will die at some point, buried in the garbage in her home and the home will have to be bulldozed.
5
Part of what looks like hoarding behavior may also be that the person was never taught as a child how to organize themselves and their belongings. "Clean up your room" is not an instruction about how to organize yourself. Of course there are hoarders who have a much more serious compulsion than this. But, with the constant admonitions to consume, and the constant release that consuming gives someone who is empty or alone, it adds up if you do not know how to organize things. Getting organized--if that is the actual problem--is helped by another person working with you, helping to identify a place for everything and everything in its place. Once that is accomplished (and it will involve purging many things), it is easier to keep things picked up, or, if in disarray, to return to an organized state. Marie Kondo's book, Spark Joy, is helpful. You still need someone, though, to help you think through.
Also, another thing I have heard is someone saying that they know how much something cost and they cannot bear to sell it for so cheap or to give it away--it is like flushing money down the loo. But it is helpful to talk about the fact that moving things out will allow the new to come in, and the new should be actual currency, not things, for awhile. Or, make the rule that if you bring something new in, you have to take one thing out of comparable worth, or size, or category. I helped move a hoarder; getting things physically moving was energizing.
Also, another thing I have heard is someone saying that they know how much something cost and they cannot bear to sell it for so cheap or to give it away--it is like flushing money down the loo. But it is helpful to talk about the fact that moving things out will allow the new to come in, and the new should be actual currency, not things, for awhile. Or, make the rule that if you bring something new in, you have to take one thing out of comparable worth, or size, or category. I helped move a hoarder; getting things physically moving was energizing.
47
I used to sit with my daughter and clean up, explaining what the term meant and demonstrating it(all the barbies and their clothes go in this box; stuffed animals on the shelf,etc.) saying clean up to a three year old is like saying 'behave'.
9
i have enough of my own stuff, tools, cameras, books, telescopes, musical instruments, but when my ex moved out in early 2015 she abandoned all her belongings and left it to me to get rid of it all. a year after the divorce she sent me a check to cover the cost of disposal and i've given away clothing and books and art supplies, of which she had an enormous amount. i'm still sorting through it and trying to give it away. i almost despair that i'm never going to get it all out of here so i can enjoy my home as i would like it. i wound up with a lot of my parent's stuff because i have the issue of attaching emotional importance to objects, but i've learned to be a little ruthless. i may keep my father's hummel of the virgin mary but his box of travel photos that meant nothing to me, those i was able to toss. with her stuff i find myself throwing away perfectly usable art materials because i really don't need the stress of trying to sell it, or even trying to find it a good home for nothing.
40
I hope you are donating the art materials to a thrift store.
18
yes i have been, to an outfit called the blessing barn. they also got a lot of her art books, as did two local libraries. some of the stuff went to artist friends, and i have a woman representing a home schooling collective coming next week for some stuff. clothing went to big brother/big sister. but there's a lot of chaff in with the wheat in those boxes in the attic.
23
It is okay to throw things out. It is actually a really big pain to try to sell old, used or pre-bought stuff. It is often time consuming and costs money to resell. Just have a garage sale offering some of the stuff for free, whatever is leftover afterwards throw out.
14
My neighbors next door consist of a couple in their twenties with a very young child. They live in a four bedroom house with a two-car garage, and a storage shed (not small). Every few months they throw an unbelievable amount of things into the garbage. I'm curious how often this is happening with our young people. I remember when I was in my twenties, I could load my car (a Pinto) with everything I owned, and still have room left over. I think some of the issues today are caused by our culture of buy, buy, buy!
140
I would assume, hoarding has a great deal to do with our "throwaway" culture. Goods so cheap we are expected to just throw them away and buy more. Some of us balk at that. It was interesting to see "environmentalism' listed as one cause of hoarding. I am not a hoarder, but I am an environmentalist and understand the tendency to feel guilty when discarding perfectly good stuff. Every community should have a clearing house for barter, exchange and selling good, but no longer needed stuff.
25
You're putting them down, but I think what they're doing is admirable.
I promised my wife we would never have so much 'stuff' that we wouldn't fall over if we died at home.
21
That is love.
“And this mess is so big
And so deep and so tall,
We cannot pick it up.
There is no way at all!”
- Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel)
I can sympathize with the paralysis affecting hoarders!
And so deep and so tall,
We cannot pick it up.
There is no way at all!”
- Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel)
I can sympathize with the paralysis affecting hoarders!
36
I disagree with the idea of avoiding words like "garbage" and "disgusting".
Call a spade a spade. Keeping used, half-empty, and unwashed food containers is ALWAYS both things. Avoiding saying so to avoid hurting somebody's feelings doesn't make it not true.
Institute monthly cleanliness checks with escalating fines for non-compliance!
A minimum level of basic public health standards in apartments is something we should be willing to hold people too reguardless of mental health issues.
Call a spade a spade. Keeping used, half-empty, and unwashed food containers is ALWAYS both things. Avoiding saying so to avoid hurting somebody's feelings doesn't make it not true.
Institute monthly cleanliness checks with escalating fines for non-compliance!
A minimum level of basic public health standards in apartments is something we should be willing to hold people too reguardless of mental health issues.
47
Maybe you and Mike Gera could move next door to each other, and inspect each others premises on a monthly basis. Sounds like you would both enjoy it.
9
Fascinating story. In a follow-up maybe the reporter could address theories as to why people hoard.
26
Most of the photos I see don't just involve people who collect things (stacked newspapers, plastic containers) to excess, but also people who don't clean up trash, or wash their dishes. Is this not a different issue? It's one problem to save hundreds of Pringle containers or every back issue of National Geographic ever published, and it's another thing to be walking over twenty layers of food debris and unwashed dishes. Some of these people living in filth don't seem to be "hoarding" things, they seem to be neglecting to pick up and dispose of trash. Seems like this would call for a different approach.
Just asking.
Just asking.
163
This is precisely what I observed too. Pictures of slobs and not those of hoarders.
9
They are still hoarders. Trash hoarders, which they consider to be precious objects.
7
And recognition of a "different" or "Co-Disorder," something like not giving a S&^T about things.
1
A previous commentor referred to the Collyer brothers. Not unreasonable to say that they were the founders of the hoarding movement. Anyone interested in learning more might want to check out:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=81jV9D8FiFA
www.youtube.com/watch?v=81jV9D8FiFA
16
Thanks for this link. The Collyer brothers were a sad pair. Their mental illnesses were not treated at the time, and in fact they were bullied and harassed. It is sad the way they died.
When I was a kid, I read the Marjorie Davenport novel based on their lives "My Brother's Keeper'. I was quite affected by it, and remember it 50+ years later.
When I was a kid, I read the Marjorie Davenport novel based on their lives "My Brother's Keeper'. I was quite affected by it, and remember it 50+ years later.
10
My mother is a hoarder. When I moved out of the house at age 19 it was already filling up with old newspapers, clothes, and gifts still in packaging that would never be given. Now I am 40 and the piles have bloomed out so much that only 'trails' through the carpet remain for navigation. Every sitting surface is mounded over with things that will never be used. Me and my siblings have brought it up many times over the years, mom nods and agrees there might be a problem but nothing changes. She is now in her mid-60's and dad is in his 80's. It was a painful way to grow up, always being too embarrassed to invite friends over, and chaotic too, never being able to find anything or complete a project. Now it's painful to watch from a distance. I just have no idea how to help her as she has avoided all offers of assistance and will not reach out on her own. My parents have enough financial resources to live in a comfortable and clean environment. But the mental and emotional barriers appear insurmountable.
111
Try some of the resource persons mentioned in the article (clergyman, psychologist...) Your mom may have undiagnosed depression so seeing a dr soon is crucial. You may need to speak with someone too given the scars this behavior of hers must have left on your psyche. Just a friendly suggestion.
18
Why are you watching from a distance? She needs your help.
7
I had a dear friend for years with a huge hoarding problem. She got into therapy at my urging, would in fits and starts begin the slow trickle of selling things (she had amazing taste in clothing, fabrics and home furnishings that collected among the magazines, newspapers and other piles of worthless objects). But despite these surges and my continued support, offers of physical help, encouragement at any signs of progress she never overcame her problem. She eventually got evicted and lost everything as she mad dashed out the door having ignored the notices from her landlord. I always understood that for her discarding items was the same as discarding herself.
It is not only about offering help and sometimes, if you are too close, the only thing you can do for your own sanity is view from a distance.
It is not only about offering help and sometimes, if you are too close, the only thing you can do for your own sanity is view from a distance.
28
There is a distinction between hoarding, cluttering, and collecting, which this article does not address. I am a collector (occasional compulsive buyer of a single type object) and a clutterer (too many items for the space I rent and they are in disorder). I often think that if I owned a large house and a staff to maintain my possessions, I wouldn't have a disorder, but just be an ordinary rich person.
53
I agree. I often wonder why it is always called "hoarding." I have had a problem over the past 10 years -- dating back to job stress, then loss of job, then stress of caring for a dying parent, now financial woes -- keeping up with maintaining a tidy apartment, though I do get rid of newspapers and regularly empty the garbage. I guess I would call mine "clutter" and "non-weekly housekeeping" rather than hoarding, as I have tons of stuff I want to get rid of and do get rid of, but I have issues keeping what I have left organized. I have to say I was relieved (though felt guilty about it) when I saw the photos w/this story, as my apartment doesn't come close to this, at least not yet.
I also have to say there are a couple of things that don't help people like me struggling to keep up:
1. In Manhattan, where a lot of people, esp. older ones, don't own cars, stuff you aren't throwing out but are donating & getting tax deduction for has to be taken by you to the charity shop on a bus, on subway, or in taxi, or maybe a truck you hire. Charities don't pick up, except in the case of large valuable items, like antique furniture. I know, because I do this myself. If you are getting rid of a lot of stuff, it takes a lot trips back & forth to get it there on the bus or subway, which can be tiring once you are in your 70s.
2. Household (i.e., cleaning) help is very expensive in Manhattan, and provided free only to very low income seniors (like those who qualify for Medicaid).
I also have to say there are a couple of things that don't help people like me struggling to keep up:
1. In Manhattan, where a lot of people, esp. older ones, don't own cars, stuff you aren't throwing out but are donating & getting tax deduction for has to be taken by you to the charity shop on a bus, on subway, or in taxi, or maybe a truck you hire. Charities don't pick up, except in the case of large valuable items, like antique furniture. I know, because I do this myself. If you are getting rid of a lot of stuff, it takes a lot trips back & forth to get it there on the bus or subway, which can be tiring once you are in your 70s.
2. Household (i.e., cleaning) help is very expensive in Manhattan, and provided free only to very low income seniors (like those who qualify for Medicaid).
55
Ellie,
If you just want to get rid of stuff and can live without the charitable deduction, consider joining your local Freecycle group. People who can make use of your unwanted things will come and take them away with minimal effort on your part. I bring small items to my charity of choice, but I list larger things on Freecycle and then presto! they're gone. People will even take broken items and repurpose them. I know some of my stuff gets taken to be resold later but I don't care as long as it's out of my place.
If you just want to get rid of stuff and can live without the charitable deduction, consider joining your local Freecycle group. People who can make use of your unwanted things will come and take them away with minimal effort on your part. I bring small items to my charity of choice, but I list larger things on Freecycle and then presto! they're gone. People will even take broken items and repurpose them. I know some of my stuff gets taken to be resold later but I don't care as long as it's out of my place.
6
This article, though well-meaning, conflates hoarding -- a true mental illness -- with people who are messy, have a lot of clutter or collect to much stuff.
Even if it is aesthetically displeasing or messy -- if you have a 30,000 vinyl record collection and it is mostly in one place, and some sort of organization or shelves or boxes for it -- even if it fills 3 entire rooms -- it is NOT HOARDING.
Hoarding is very specifically when you are not ONLY in a very cluttered environment (to the point it is dangerous or hazardous) but when the clutter consists of actual RUBBISH -- not stuffed animals or records or books -- but rotting food, filthy adult diapers filled with feces, dead animals, wet newspapers or magazines, broken electronics, vermin, insects, rodents, etc. Things that literally have NO value, and that any sane person realizes is garbage, but which the hoarder clings to in an obsessive and frantic way.
Even if it is aesthetically displeasing or messy -- if you have a 30,000 vinyl record collection and it is mostly in one place, and some sort of organization or shelves or boxes for it -- even if it fills 3 entire rooms -- it is NOT HOARDING.
Hoarding is very specifically when you are not ONLY in a very cluttered environment (to the point it is dangerous or hazardous) but when the clutter consists of actual RUBBISH -- not stuffed animals or records or books -- but rotting food, filthy adult diapers filled with feces, dead animals, wet newspapers or magazines, broken electronics, vermin, insects, rodents, etc. Things that literally have NO value, and that any sane person realizes is garbage, but which the hoarder clings to in an obsessive and frantic way.
6
While I applaud the empathy (and pragmatism) on display here, I feel like there must be a line. If the tenant is unwilling or incapable of recognizing their problem, then the landlord or board must have the power to remedy the problem in a timely manner. The tendencies of the tenant put the entire building's occupants at risk. And the needs of those people outweigh any potential emotional distress suffered by those with a hoarding problem.
Those like Mr. Furie and Mr. Blech should be applauded, but other tenants who refuse to or cannot get their home in order should not be allowed to stay for a prolonged period of time. Compassion for the mental illness, yes, but also compassion for the people around them who did not choose it either.
Those like Mr. Furie and Mr. Blech should be applauded, but other tenants who refuse to or cannot get their home in order should not be allowed to stay for a prolonged period of time. Compassion for the mental illness, yes, but also compassion for the people around them who did not choose it either.
85
The issue of hoarding is so complex and how to help people with it could be the subject of a weekly article in the Times. Touching on why this disorder occurs seems as varied as categories of saved items.
I had an old friend who collected newspapers, sticks gathered during his daily bicycle ride and discarded kitchen knives that he resharpened. These 3 categories were kept in a handsome fashion, but what was once a large living room became a maize of columns made from units of bundled newspapers all of the same size. In his front yard was the most beautiful mountain of sticks in various lengths, but no larger than an inch in diameter. Hundreds of dulled steel knives lay on a table separate in equal spacing in wait next to a sharpening wheel.
This was a cheerful, friendly and orderly person who was admired in our community. Visiting his house could be like going to any art space to see an installation, but it could be seen also as hoarding.
Saving useful things is laudable for many reasons as landfills reach their holding capacity and lives begin to fill with so many items that break before they even arrive home or function poorly in a short time after they were purchased. Then there is the debilitating and pervasive cultural aspect of equating possession with personal worth. And, there is the overrated convenience of shopping online via Amazon or entering a WalMart, which is certainly worth avoiding.
More coverage on this phenomenon, NY Times, please!
I had an old friend who collected newspapers, sticks gathered during his daily bicycle ride and discarded kitchen knives that he resharpened. These 3 categories were kept in a handsome fashion, but what was once a large living room became a maize of columns made from units of bundled newspapers all of the same size. In his front yard was the most beautiful mountain of sticks in various lengths, but no larger than an inch in diameter. Hundreds of dulled steel knives lay on a table separate in equal spacing in wait next to a sharpening wheel.
This was a cheerful, friendly and orderly person who was admired in our community. Visiting his house could be like going to any art space to see an installation, but it could be seen also as hoarding.
Saving useful things is laudable for many reasons as landfills reach their holding capacity and lives begin to fill with so many items that break before they even arrive home or function poorly in a short time after they were purchased. Then there is the debilitating and pervasive cultural aspect of equating possession with personal worth. And, there is the overrated convenience of shopping online via Amazon or entering a WalMart, which is certainly worth avoiding.
More coverage on this phenomenon, NY Times, please!
76
"Saving useful things is laudable for many reasons as landfills reach their holding capacity." That's exactly the kind of attitude that abets hoarding. Worry less about landfills and more about your own personal landfill.
3
It is my non-scientific observation that many people who engage in hoarding behavior also frequently continue to drive an automobile well beyond the stage where they can safety operate one. Whether or not this can be classified as an illness is beyond my expertise, but I do know one thing: both behaviors are based on selfishness and complete disregard for the safety of others. I have seen residential hoarding situations which are fire traps waiting to happen, and I have seen individuals continue to drive when they are a clear and present danger. This is particularly true in suburban environments which are highly dependent on the automobile and where individuals may live in conditions of relative isolation. Law enforcement (police, fire, and sanitation) need to be given greater powers to vigorously enforce local health ordinances.
13
I agree; it seems like hoarding and not adequately repairing things go hand in hand. Even when whatever damaged fixture or appliance inside a home can be accessed, it goes unfixed or inadequately repaired. It's like "Oh I'll fix it later " or "It's good enough."
I'm increasingly stressed by this situation. I recently moved out of my parent's home, due to hoarding and disrepair (and finally making enough to live on my own). The disrepair becomes increasingly worse and although my parent acknowledges there is a problem, they have not taken much action. I was asked to stay for financial reasons, but I had had enough of broken promises of repair and action.
I was worried that I was heading in the same direction so I got rid of a LOT of stuff a few years ago. Unfortunately I couldn't fully organize my remaining stuff because of all the other things in the home. I'd cleaned up some of the household clutter but there's only so much that I could do by myself. I feel a little bad for leaving, but I received little cooperation or coordination and I needed to consider my physical and mental health. I will look into the links provided and keep trying.
I'm increasingly stressed by this situation. I recently moved out of my parent's home, due to hoarding and disrepair (and finally making enough to live on my own). The disrepair becomes increasingly worse and although my parent acknowledges there is a problem, they have not taken much action. I was asked to stay for financial reasons, but I had had enough of broken promises of repair and action.
I was worried that I was heading in the same direction so I got rid of a LOT of stuff a few years ago. Unfortunately I couldn't fully organize my remaining stuff because of all the other things in the home. I'd cleaned up some of the household clutter but there's only so much that I could do by myself. I feel a little bad for leaving, but I received little cooperation or coordination and I needed to consider my physical and mental health. I will look into the links provided and keep trying.
23
I'm glad you are not my neighbour.
17
You did the best thing for yourself. There is no need to regret your decision.
4
I don.t see much mention of the role of depression in hoarding - and can we please say "he is hoarding' instead of 'he's a hoarder'? thank you.
From personal experience, feelings of hopelessness and unworthiness underly the paralysis. When my condition relapses, I become not so much 'clutter-blind' as 'clutter-incapable' - the feeling of powerlessness is overwhelming. I don't keep stuff just to keep stuff - I just feel unable to influence the physical world.
From personal experience, feelings of hopelessness and unworthiness underly the paralysis. When my condition relapses, I become not so much 'clutter-blind' as 'clutter-incapable' - the feeling of powerlessness is overwhelming. I don't keep stuff just to keep stuff - I just feel unable to influence the physical world.
162
That is an explanation. It is not an excuse.
Imagine a world where EVERYONE makes up such excuses!
Imagine a world where EVERYONE makes up such excuses!
4
A mental illness isn't an "excuse". Is having heart failure or severe rheumatoid arthritis an "excuse" for not being capable of doing the things you used to be capable of? Why should people with mental illnesses have to have an "excuse" for being incapacitated in some aspects? Mental illness is not a failure of character or morality. It is a disease like any other and deserving of the same understanding.
24
Thank you, Patrick; you nailed it with every single sentence. It is an overwhelming feeling of powerlessness, shame, and defeat. And it is lonely. Loved ones say, "just clean it up." That is the saddest thing to hear; not because they don't care, but because they so profoundly don't understand. We want it cleaned up, we want to live in a calm space, and our inability to get there is deeply painful. For me, it is perfectionism and, yes, environmentalism.
A couple of commenters suggested to another, vis-a-vis getting rid of his ex's abandoned art supplies, to not just throw them away, not to waste them! Contact a school, post a notice for artists, bag them up and donate etc! People: this is exactly the kind of thing that paralyzes. Everything must be perfectly disposed of, perfectly gifted or sold or repaired. I.e., more delay, more sorting, more pressure to "get it right."
Before moving abroad several years ago, I went through my family's clothes and belongings and carefully decided which lovely dresses should go to which cousin, which things should go to local charities--and then, which charity? Women's shelter? Children's center? I wanted to "get it right," to "not waste it." Agony, so much time, and so very stressful.
"Concerned Citizen" (btw--doesn't sound like it): I'd rather be me, and able to empathize but not organize, than you, with a tidy space and an ignorant, hostile, self-satisfied desire to shame others.
A couple of commenters suggested to another, vis-a-vis getting rid of his ex's abandoned art supplies, to not just throw them away, not to waste them! Contact a school, post a notice for artists, bag them up and donate etc! People: this is exactly the kind of thing that paralyzes. Everything must be perfectly disposed of, perfectly gifted or sold or repaired. I.e., more delay, more sorting, more pressure to "get it right."
Before moving abroad several years ago, I went through my family's clothes and belongings and carefully decided which lovely dresses should go to which cousin, which things should go to local charities--and then, which charity? Women's shelter? Children's center? I wanted to "get it right," to "not waste it." Agony, so much time, and so very stressful.
"Concerned Citizen" (btw--doesn't sound like it): I'd rather be me, and able to empathize but not organize, than you, with a tidy space and an ignorant, hostile, self-satisfied desire to shame others.
38
I am a real estate broker and deal with hoarders on a weekly basis. I'm all for compassion to the mentally ill, but at what point does compassion become enabling?
I get that people have memories attached to things and that these folks need to work through their personal issues. However when I have a tenant next door who is paying $3K for a 1 bedroom apartment, they are expecting a clean and safe building, free from vermin.
I get that people have memories attached to things and that these folks need to work through their personal issues. However when I have a tenant next door who is paying $3K for a 1 bedroom apartment, they are expecting a clean and safe building, free from vermin.
79
I don't think the approach described in the article is enabling the behavior. The behavior has clearly been identified by the land lord as unacceptable; the article is simply suggesting methods that increase the likelihood of compliance by the tenant. Eviction is still on the table, but it's a last resort.
24
Perhaps tenants "next door paying $3k for a 1 bedroom" need to do a little more "due diligence" about where they move. Like, in addition to determining if the apt. is over a restaurant, next to a firehouse, above the laundry room, or below an apt. filled with hard partying "bros," they need to watch our for hoarders.
5
Please dont make it a money issue. The elderly people on a fixed income in a rent-controlled apartment have the same right to a clean and safe environment as your $3k a month tenant.
1
This should give us all pause to reflect on the impacts of our consumerist culture. Because of these people's mental illness, it is easy to see the burden of this culture. The mentally healthy among us send our waste to the landfill with such efficiency and regularity that we don't have a clue how much stuff passes through our lives.
Us non-hoarders need to learn from the hoarders and consume less.
Us non-hoarders need to learn from the hoarders and consume less.
59
"We [sane people] need to learn [lifestyle tips] from [mentally ill people]"
This is hilarious, are you serious? Think before you type. Mental illness symptoms manifesting do not have some great meaning that sane people benefit from.
This is hilarious, are you serious? Think before you type. Mental illness symptoms manifesting do not have some great meaning that sane people benefit from.
10
They certainly can have lessons to teach us.
5
asdfj -- and yet, Lee is correct that we need to acknowledge our run-away consumerism and admit the amount of damage we do to our wellbeing and our planet through this idea that we need more stuff in order to be happy and fulfilled. What's your response to that? [Think before you type. ;) ]
4
Unfortunately, from my experience hoarding needs to be addressed before it becomes a problem for all who live nearby. My neighbor who was a very sweet woman, was a hoarder. Her hoarding was evident from just looking at the outside of her house. An excessive amount of plants in original plastic containers and miscellaneous outdoor decorations. One of the walls was charred due to a fire that was put out before it reached other homes. All surrounding houses had rodent sightings. She eventually lost the house and it was torn down by a contractor. What we thought was a moderate rodent situation became a serious concern when the house was demolished. All houses in the block had rats. We eventually exterminated all, but after serous and costly efforts. Fortunately, we did not share walls. I can only imagine how much serious this could of been if we shared building.
62
My spouse grew up with a parent that was incapable decluttering and cleaning. So, my wife grew up "blind" to the stuff everywhere, and is used to the stress and depression the condition creates.
It is a hard battle and indeed impacts everyone. I did not grow up this way. I struggle to make my young kids to understand this is not normal, but they are becoming "blind", too. I don't mind cleaning, but the clutter is a huge impediment. Literally, every surface accumulates stuff. I am the working spouse.
My wife says she gets depressed about it and hates the state of the house, but we have different modes; I get involved and do, she gets overwhelmed and procrastinates. We make progress together, but it seems the inflow is greater than the outflow.
I empathize with those dealing with family who have worse situations. It is indeed a vexing situation and condition.
It is a hard battle and indeed impacts everyone. I did not grow up this way. I struggle to make my young kids to understand this is not normal, but they are becoming "blind", too. I don't mind cleaning, but the clutter is a huge impediment. Literally, every surface accumulates stuff. I am the working spouse.
My wife says she gets depressed about it and hates the state of the house, but we have different modes; I get involved and do, she gets overwhelmed and procrastinates. We make progress together, but it seems the inflow is greater than the outflow.
I empathize with those dealing with family who have worse situations. It is indeed a vexing situation and condition.
77
I have the same problem. I'm crazed by clutter and my husband doesn't see it nor does he understand how crazy it makes me. He grew up in chaos and grew immune to it. My solution is to purge regularly. I have occasionally thrown something important out but it's worth the aggravation to live more or less clutter free.
13
It might help to pick one small area of the house to declutter each day, for one half of an hour.
Another is to get Marie Kondo's book, spark joy.
Another is to go around every day and push things into neat piles, then go through one pile and discard or store.
It is not just about hording. It is about not knowing how to organize and store. If your wife was never taught this as a child, it can be learned. It takes time, but it is worth it.
Another is to get Marie Kondo's book, spark joy.
Another is to go around every day and push things into neat piles, then go through one pile and discard or store.
It is not just about hording. It is about not knowing how to organize and store. If your wife was never taught this as a child, it can be learned. It takes time, but it is worth it.
7
50 years ago they didn't give us social workers a hazmat suit when we had to clean up after a hoarder - Anne
22
I think there are some genetic and/or behavioral influences involved too. My grandmother was a hoarder for life but our family thought her experiences of deprivation through hard times of Japanese colonization and Korean War in her early to middle ages could be a reason. When I realized my mother turned into a hoarder, as seriously as her mother did, I had no clue about why. When I found hoarder instinct developing in my habit, I was so scared as I didn't want to be like them. I have tried to overcome as hard as possible and it surely works at least for better. But I still feel guilty whenever I throw away things to declutter.
80
Good for you, Grace Lee, for being self-aware and pro-active. Keep up the good work!
16
Interesting article, thanks. I've known some severe hoarders, not quite as bad as the pictures here, but I think the problem affects most of us a bit. Modern life is so full of distractions and duties that it's easy to stack things up and assume we'll deal with them later. It's usually not that we want to keep the recycling or the clothing that doesn't fit, it's mostly procrastination; we want to donate the clothing but we'll get to it later.
It's an insidious thing, and I find myself undertaking tremendous cleanups every couple of months, even knowing that if I spent fifteen minutes a day cleaning, my apartment would always be tidy.
Last night I had a flood from a plumbing problem, and wound up throwing out about 40 pounds of damaged stuff; books I intended to donate that were stacked on the floor, linoleum that was ruined that I'd always intended to replace, etc.. Annoying as it was, it was a good wake-up call to put more effort into removal of unnecessary things, and it was quite a relief to be forced to just throw out a batch of stuff I didn't need.
It's an insidious thing, and I find myself undertaking tremendous cleanups every couple of months, even knowing that if I spent fifteen minutes a day cleaning, my apartment would always be tidy.
Last night I had a flood from a plumbing problem, and wound up throwing out about 40 pounds of damaged stuff; books I intended to donate that were stacked on the floor, linoleum that was ruined that I'd always intended to replace, etc.. Annoying as it was, it was a good wake-up call to put more effort into removal of unnecessary things, and it was quite a relief to be forced to just throw out a batch of stuff I didn't need.
96
This article makes me think that someone I know may have been evicted for the hoarding, rather than their excuse that they "had not paid their association dues." They lost everything and have started over in a smaller apartment. They seem to be doing better - a cleaning service has been allowed inside. Hoarding is a difficult disorder.
30
Experiences with two relatives suggest that hoarding behavior stems from differing motives and impulses. One individual hoards collectibles. After 50 years of collecting, the large house is piled with collectibles, often still in original packing, but in volumes so pathological, that the only living space available is a small bed/couch and a small counter space. The home is a fire and a hygienic hazard. Insisting that the hoard has monetary value and she "will make a killing because they don't make this stuff anymore." is her key rational.
The second relative is clinically depressed and has lost the objectivity to recognize how pathological the hoard of "recyclables" has become. While he acknowledges that the apartment is "somewhat messy", he is paralyzed on how to clean and organize it, and refuses to let others in to help for fear of losing independence. His level of paranoia exceeds his distress of changing his environment.
The overarching fear is a loss of control and fear of being helplessly alone. They are caught in a loop of irrational thinking that what they are hoarding will be critical to their survival sometime in the near future. While the stated motive for each is different, I believe that meaningful engagement with others in their community would improve their sense of psychological safety and lessen the need to prepare for a bleak and unnecessary alternative.
The second relative is clinically depressed and has lost the objectivity to recognize how pathological the hoard of "recyclables" has become. While he acknowledges that the apartment is "somewhat messy", he is paralyzed on how to clean and organize it, and refuses to let others in to help for fear of losing independence. His level of paranoia exceeds his distress of changing his environment.
The overarching fear is a loss of control and fear of being helplessly alone. They are caught in a loop of irrational thinking that what they are hoarding will be critical to their survival sometime in the near future. While the stated motive for each is different, I believe that meaningful engagement with others in their community would improve their sense of psychological safety and lessen the need to prepare for a bleak and unnecessary alternative.
95
I worked for years repairing and remodeling homes in a major U.S. city.
While most of my customers would not be classified officially as “hoarders”,
many of them had over-stuffed closets, attics, basements, garages, spare bedrooms or designated “junk rooms”. Others had rented storage sheds to contain the overflow. Others simply had houses large enough to contain
a massive amount of goods, thus they didn’t appear to be hoarding. We have all been bombarded since birth by the advertising industry, indeed by American culture, to buy and own and collect and possess. Is it any wonder that some people lose control, when so many of us are similarly afflicted, just not to such an extreme level?
While most of my customers would not be classified officially as “hoarders”,
many of them had over-stuffed closets, attics, basements, garages, spare bedrooms or designated “junk rooms”. Others had rented storage sheds to contain the overflow. Others simply had houses large enough to contain
a massive amount of goods, thus they didn’t appear to be hoarding. We have all been bombarded since birth by the advertising industry, indeed by American culture, to buy and own and collect and possess. Is it any wonder that some people lose control, when so many of us are similarly afflicted, just not to such an extreme level?
173
I can confirm this. Many times I have been bought in to consult an addition to a home and I been immediately confronted by a hoarding situation. People will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars creating additional space to store "valuables" like stacks of newspapers, bags of old clothes, used books and records, toys, broken furniture, old TVs - you name it.
8
Thanks for writing an informative article. Our drivers face this situation when we attempt to deliver a new appliance and the drivers have to refuse. Then we need to have a difficult conversation with the client. Most times it doesn't go well, as stated, the person doesn't recognize there is a problem. Our field managers have to visit the home to have a face to face to explain options.
Agreed, a problem is difficult affecting many.
Agreed, a problem is difficult affecting many.
62
When I worked for a recycling non-profit (Village Green) in the 1980s, several times we were called in to clean out apartments where hoarding had gotten out of control. We were usually brought in by relatives of the tenant who was facing eviction or some other action. The strategy we used was pretty honest. We'd say we had heard there were lots of recyclables in the apartment and we wondered if the tenant would like to donate them to the non profit recycler. It turned what might have been a difficult situation into a real win for everyone. No one was happier than the hoarder to see all that stuff not get wasted.
257
Excellent Carl! My mother's words still ring in my head when I'm hesitant to get rid of something I'm clearly not using but ' might need in the future' -- she always said: "Give it to someone else who may need it more than you do and put it to good use". Always helps me do the right thing!
41
Yes! I love Carl's strategy and your mother's words too. I think anyone with a conscience has a hard time putting things in the garbage that still have a useful life left. My solution: twice a year I pack up a few boxes and head to Salvation Army. My apartment stays clear of clutter, with no guilt about wastefulness.
21
What a wonderful idea! Thanks you for sharing it.
8
Think about hoarding as a precursor to Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. As the Power of Attorney for a close friend with Alzheimer's, I can see now that his move from quirky but acceptable clutter and disorganization into chaos coincided with progression of his disease. He would forget that he had bought things necessitating several trips to the grocery store -- day after day -- for the same items and he lost judgment of what was needed to clean his apartment, believing it could be done in a few hours. When I moved him to memory care 18 months ago, it required 30 hours of labor -- and $12,000 -- for a professional group to get rid of the junk and clutter and prepare for an estate sale.
74
It CAN be, but I also know young and completely healthy people who are terrible hoarders, and there is no evidence that it is exclusive to seniors or those with Alzheimer's. Certainly dementia makes living independently very hard -- impossible eventually -- but at least in your relative's case, there was a clear medical issue.
For most hoarders, there is no obvious problem (besides the hoarding itself) -- they are not particularly old, nor in poor health -- some hoarders are actually affluent -- and it is NOT easy to get a guardianship or POA on a relative who is living this way, and you can forget it entirely about non-relatives. They basically have to make their situations SO BAD, the local authorities (like the fire marshall) have to declare the place a hazard, and FORCE changes.
For most hoarders, there is no obvious problem (besides the hoarding itself) -- they are not particularly old, nor in poor health -- some hoarders are actually affluent -- and it is NOT easy to get a guardianship or POA on a relative who is living this way, and you can forget it entirely about non-relatives. They basically have to make their situations SO BAD, the local authorities (like the fire marshall) have to declare the place a hazard, and FORCE changes.
16
Excellent article on a sensitive and difficult illness.
I am a collector and definitely have a tendency to save various things because the still "have use in them". I try to keep it under control by limiting the space that any one category of objects is "allowed" to occupy. If the space is exceeded by the collection or saved for further use items then something has to be sold, donated, posted on a community reuse/recycling board to pass on or, last choice, thrown away. I have also found that watching a hoarders show or reading an article on the subject makes me go find things I can immediately throw out and I completely surrender to that impulse. So please excuse me while I go break down some cardboard boxes and purge my packing/shipping materials that are starting to get out of hand.
I am a collector and definitely have a tendency to save various things because the still "have use in them". I try to keep it under control by limiting the space that any one category of objects is "allowed" to occupy. If the space is exceeded by the collection or saved for further use items then something has to be sold, donated, posted on a community reuse/recycling board to pass on or, last choice, thrown away. I have also found that watching a hoarders show or reading an article on the subject makes me go find things I can immediately throw out and I completely surrender to that impulse. So please excuse me while I go break down some cardboard boxes and purge my packing/shipping materials that are starting to get out of hand.
126
Things that "still have a use in them" but that you don't use on a regular basis are also called junk.
1
Personal experience with a close family member who is a hoarder has led me to believe that hoarding behaviour is closely linked to the desire for control. Paradoxically, the more items pile up the less in control the hoarder feels. Paralysis sets in when the hoarder is so overwhelmed by the enormity of the task of decluttering that he or she becomes unable to take even a small first step toward cleaning up. The hoarder's depression that can follow an outsider's intervention can be severe, and baffling to those who look at the before-and-after pictures and deem the decluttered results "a relief." It may take years before the hoarder feels in control of their own life again.
143
As the president of a 134 unit co-op in Queens, I have also encountered hoarding situations and this article is instructive.
I suppose no discussion of hoarding is complete without invoking the Collyer Brothers. Their brownstone on Fifth Ave. and 128th St. was estimated to have contained between 120 and 140 tons of debris. The site of their demolished home is now a tiny park named in their honor.
I suppose no discussion of hoarding is complete without invoking the Collyer Brothers. Their brownstone on Fifth Ave. and 128th St. was estimated to have contained between 120 and 140 tons of debris. The site of their demolished home is now a tiny park named in their honor.
69
Hopefully this article will help bring this problem out in to the light to help not only those in co ops where neighbors are directly affected but those in houses where the problem can be hidden easier. We had a neighbor with this problem - one room by volume was half full in a sea of magazines. It ultimately destroyed the house which had to be demolished after he was hospitalized.
As for Homer & Langley the one thing you don't mention is that it ultimately caused both their deaths within their home.
As for Homer & Langley the one thing you don't mention is that it ultimately caused both their deaths within their home.
13
My mother used to insist I must be 'one of the Collyers' when my room became cluttered with toys. Now, at age 70, I maintain a clean, tidy living area but have to wonder how many adults today remember being compared to the brothers Collyer when their toys and possessions took over their space.
Good times, good times...
Good times, good times...
12
I heard lots of stories about the wealthy Collyer brothers. What people may not know is the one brother was killed when a tower of newspapers fell on him. The survivor did nothing.
14
"Hoarding is problem that affects everyone"
Loss of copy editors affect everyone too.
Loss of copy editors affect everyone too.
360
The hoarders strike back! They knew there would be a use for that article.
12
"'Hoarding is problem that affects everyone'"
"Loss of copy editors affect everyone too."
Including you, apparently. Your grammatically incorrect construction should read, "Loss of copy editors affects everyone...."
"Loss of copy editors affect everyone too."
Including you, apparently. Your grammatically incorrect construction should read, "Loss of copy editors affects everyone...."
5
Loss of copy editors AFFECTS everyone too. Not blaming Billy for that slip, since comments aren't copy edited, but the NYT, which is about to lay off those who copy edit its stories, and doesn't seem to realize that copy editing is essential to journalistic excellence.
20
I viewed this hoarding first hand as a board member at our condominium. Truly sad. Two separate individuals, both professionals. Our annual fire sprinkler inspection brought it to light as the inspectors are required to enter the units. Our Property Manager informed the board and we felt a written notice to clean up the units would suffice. Later we learned that the unit owners had told the property manager that their places were cleaned. Inspection revealed that there was no discernable difference. The unit owners could not see the problem. To them it was clean. Unfortunately we found it necessary to call the Fire Department. And they in turn declared it a fire hazard and called in cleaners.
It’s really said when you realize that these hoarders have a compulsive sickness.
It’s really said when you realize that these hoarders have a compulsive sickness.
73
They probably have "clutter blindness" in which the person isn't actually blind, but the section of the brain ( don't recall which) that would tell them there's a problem is less active than in most people.
25
I wonder if anyone else reads these kinds of stories to reassure themselves that they're not so bad after all. (I wonder.)
I was reading along, feeling more or less pleased that my relatively minor assortment of collections in no way compares with those frightening pictures until I came across "A newspaper article must be saved because it has vital information that a friend might need."
I keep on hand only enough newspaper to protect the basement floor from the occasional painting project BUT maybe I ought to (re)consider all the digital info I've been squirreling away in my Evernote online repository.
Naah, that's stuff I really NEED, you know, just in case! Besides, if the cable guy does comes to the door I can always close up my laptop and he'll never see all those notes and pictures and newspaper clippings. (Come to think of it, maybe they really could reach the ceiling if their physical equivalents were stacked up.)
I was reading along, feeling more or less pleased that my relatively minor assortment of collections in no way compares with those frightening pictures until I came across "A newspaper article must be saved because it has vital information that a friend might need."
I keep on hand only enough newspaper to protect the basement floor from the occasional painting project BUT maybe I ought to (re)consider all the digital info I've been squirreling away in my Evernote online repository.
Naah, that's stuff I really NEED, you know, just in case! Besides, if the cable guy does comes to the door I can always close up my laptop and he'll never see all those notes and pictures and newspaper clippings. (Come to think of it, maybe they really could reach the ceiling if their physical equivalents were stacked up.)
78
I'm glad they emphasized the need for councelors to help. People dont realize how devestating this condition can be. Shorly after my father's death, several cousins came into my apartment while I was visiting my mother. They decided to "help" me clean my place, but because of their schedules, it couldnt wait until I came home and could be part of the effort. I was plunged into despair before the phone call ended, and my mother had to take over. By the next day, she had to take me to the ER because I was suicidal. They had promised her they wouldnt throw anything out, but they did. I figure I lost about $1500 worth of property, and I was out of work at the time and couldnt replace anything. To this day, 7 yrs later, my relationship with those relatives is very cool. It took over 8 months before one realized the damage and apologized, but we are still not as close as we once were. It is hard to trust people now.
58
I do the same thing with digital. My solution is to carefully categorize and file everything, use a backup drive, then when my main PC hard drive fails, I get a new machine, reinstall necessary programs, reload only the bare minimum from the backup drive and start from there. After all, I can always access the backup if I really, really need it, right? Until the backup dies, or gets dropped, etc. It's amazing that I have never had to go back into e-mails from 1998 or copies of completed on-line orders from six months ago.
Now, if I could just figure out a way to duplicate failed hard drives
that in the physical world ...
Now, if I could just figure out a way to duplicate failed hard drives
that in the physical world ...
16
I'm sure your National Geographics and container collection went to a good home.
2