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At the heart of hoarding disorder is a profound and even pathological attachment to objects being hoarded. It is this attachment that tends to make it highly challenging to convince a person with hoarding behavior or hoarding disorder to eliminate hoarded objects. There are some tactics that can be utilized to mentally and emotionally prepare a person with hoarding disorder to dispose of hoarded items. These include:
- Engage support from a mental health professional
- Develop a plan for gradual object elimination
- Retain the services of a hoarder property cleanup professional
- Create a team of supportive family and friends
- Don’t dismiss the feelings of a hoarder
Engage Support From a Mental Health Professional
A key element of getting a person with hoarding disorder mentally and emotionally ready to eliminate hoarded items and objects is engaging the services of a reputable, experienced mental health professional. A counselor or therapist who has worked with clients with hoarding disorder understand how to engage such a person in regard to the prospect of cleaning up a residence, of eliminating hoarded items.
The absence of a therapist or counselor can make it highly challenging if not impossible to convince a person with hoarding disorder of the need to get rid of hoarded stuff. In fact, there are many examples of well-intentioned people trying to convince a hoarder to get rid of items who have utterly failed. Indeed, in a good number of cases, these attempts without the guidance of a therapist or counselor aggravates a person’s hoarding disorder condition.
Research has demonstrated that a person with hoarding disorder is very unlikely to get beyond the condition without professional mental health support and assistance. Thus, there is a long-term need to engage a therapist or counselor.
Develop a Plan for Gradual Object Elimination
In virtually all cases of preparing a hoarder mentally and emotionally for a property cleaning, the plan for object elimination needs to be gradual. There cannot be an action plan that calls for the immediate elimination of each and every item a hoarder has gathered over time.
By creating a plan that calls for the gradual elimination of items, a hoarder is able to better adjust to the concept of eliminating items mentally and emotionally. The sense of control over the situation allows a hoarder to understand that he or she is part of the process and not subject to a process being imposed on him or her by someone else.
Retain the Services of a Hoarder Property Cleanup Professional
A person with hoarding disorder may dread the prospect of having to undertake hoarder property cleanup. The people around a hoarder, the individuals who support the person with hoarding disorder may equally dread the prospect of undertaking hoarder property cleanup. For this reason, a wise course of action is to hire a hoarder property cleanup company like Eco Bear.
A company like Eco Bear has the experience, personnel, products, equipment, and other resources vitally necessary to successfully and safely undertake hoarding remediation.
In addition, the professionals at Eco Bear understand the ins and outs of working with an individual with hoarding disorder and that person’s friends and family. They understand how to approach a hoarding situation with respect and in a manner that honors the dignity of an individual afflicted with hoarding disorder. Moreover, the professionals at a company like Eco Bear understand the importance of confidentiality when working with a person with hoarding disorder to return that individual’s home to a livable condition.
Create a Team of Supportive Family and Friends
When the goal is mentally and emotionally preparing a person with hoarding disorder for all that is involved in hoarder property cleanup, creating a supportive team of family and friends can be helpful. These need to be people who will not judge an individual with hoarding disorder. In the broader scheme of things, creating such a team allows a person with hoarding disorder to come to an understanding that he or she is not alone.
Don’t Dismiss the Feelings of Hoarder
In working to get a person with hoarding disorder mentally and emotionally ready to part with hoarded items, the feelings of that individual must never be discarded. A person with hoarding disorder must be placed in a position that he or she is the ultimate decision maker when it comes to the manner in which hoarded items are discarded. Taking this agency away from of a person with hoarding disorder will nearly always leave that individual opposed to any actions taken to remediate a hoarding situation in his or her home.
By utilizing the strategies discussed in this article, odds are significantly improved that an individual with hoarding disorder with be mentally and emotionally prepared to accept the discarding of hoarded items. That individual will be on a pathway of recovery from hoarding disorder.
