I would like to share this with the community and ask for feedback. I had a discussion the other day with a person who called into the office. They knew of us from the TV show. They described their home in great detail to me. They began by saying it is worse than the homes they have seen on the show. They then went into detail about the piles of items they climb over, how their roof leaks, and their plumbing hasn't worked in years. I could hear the dismay and embarrassment in their voice and my heart broke for them. I reassured them that there is hope for them, if they want to make a change. I directed them to the online support group at this site, the local therapists that are in their area, and the message boards where they can interact, ask questions, and get answers. They then asked me a question. "Do you think I'm a hoarder?" Their voice trembled when they asked this question and I could hear the fear of having an answer. I then asked them a few questions..."Do they have anxiety or fear when they think about purging items in their home?" Also, "What would you like your home to look like and how would that affect your relationships with friends and family?" They answered by telling me they don't have emotional attachment to the items in their home or feel stressed about purging items. They just feel overwhelmed in getting started, but that they can make quick decisions on what they want to stay and what they want to go. They want to have a home they can have their family come to for Thanksgiving. I then directed them to the message boards right here. I know they can find the help, direction, support, and guidance from this community in a non-judgmental, loving, caring format. They were relieved to hear I didn't classify them a "hoarder", even though I am not a mental health professional. They were also glad to learn about the support on this site and that there are active message boards and people they can turn to.
I thought about this discussion for a few days and decided to blog about it at www.1800hoarders.com. What is the difference between hoarding or being a collector, packrat, saver, clutterbug, or recycler?
Regardless of what the classification or label is, it's important to know that there is help for people, right here in this community, that care for one another, understand each other, and want to help.
Please share any feedback with me on this topic or please recommend any future topics I may blog about. Identifying the issues, seeing it for what it is, and finding the resources to help is the most important thing. 🙂