![\"How](\"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Hoarding-Intervention-1024x360.png\")
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Hoarding goes beyond just the junk drawer, a household staple. It’s\u00a0a subject\u00a0that’s been captured on the television show “Hoarders,” continuously shocking\u00a0viewers–but in reality, it’s a serious threat to both mental and physical health. It often stems from depression, anxiety or other psychological conditions, namely obsessive-compulsive tendencies. A hoarder endures severe bouts of anxiety when it comes to throwing items away, and a person with hoarding issues tries\u00a0to drum up reasons to keep what most would deem junk. As clutter accumulates, so do problems with relationships, financial struggles, legal troubles and health hazards.<\/p>\n
An intervention of this kind requires patience, but\u00a0those intervening must also maintain a firm demeanor to show how serious the hoarding has become. Don’t let a loved one spiral out of control–follow these tips on how to stage a hoarding intervention.<\/p>\n
The authors here at Moving Insider were able to reach out to ADAA or Anxiety and Depression Association of America for some helpful pointers. They recommend the following:<\/p>\n
For more information on hoarding, The\u00a0Anxiety and Depression Association of America offers helpful tips here <\/a>on how to stage an intervention.<\/p>\n Gather close family and friends to get this point across: You need\u00a0help, and we want to help because we care about you<\/em>. Consider bringing in a professional to help propel the conversation and prepare you for possible backlash from the loved one you’re trying to assist. Explain why this hurts the hoarder and those around him or her. Add suggestions for how you can help, and a “gentle-but-firm” approach is the best way to tackle a hoarding problem.<\/p>\n It’s important not to start the decluttering process before the hoarder is ready and has addressed their issue and the feelings around hoarding. \u00a0Before starting the cleanup, be sure the hoarder is out of the house so they can’t ration why they need every item you’re trying to toss. As close family members and friends, you can use your best judgment regarding what to keep and what to dispose of or donate. Rent an open trailer<\/a> to haul the cleaning supplies to the residence and carry junk out. When executing a deep clean in a hoarding zone, be sure to wear proper protective gear (gloves, face mask, etc.) since you’re dealing with dirty–and potentially hazardous–surfaces.<\/p>\n This step will help someone with excessive clutter learn how to properly manage their items they truly value keeping but don’t need in the house. This provides a good lesson in confining valuable items to one single storage unit<\/a>, rather than piled in a house. As someone close to the loved one dealing with hoarding issues, you can also control the storage unit online<\/a> and ensure no hoarding situations happen there. Even organizing a unit smaller than the hoarded living space can be therapeutic for someone accustomed to hoarding. Not everything needs to be tossed, but not every valuable needs to remain in the house–that’s why a storage unit is a useful tool in a hoarding intervention.<\/p>\n Your loved one afflicted with a hoarding problem can learn how to organize the must-keeps and toss the unnecessary junk with boxes<\/a>–each one labeled<\/a> for every\u00a0room in the house. Many hoarders wallow in clutter that’s piled in every room, no matter where it actually might belong. For instance, keeping silverware, plates and other cooking items in the box wrapped with “Kitchen” tape will help your loved one develop better organizational and prioritizing skills.<\/p>\n Rome wasn’t built in a day, and a hoarder won’t be cured right after a full house cleaning. A professional therapist who specializes in obsessive-compulsive disorder is your best bet to help retrain a hoarder’s mind to distinguish between trash and valuables. The depression and anxiety that accompany a hoarding disorder should also be treated by a professional to help your loved one through these challenges. You can get more information from the Anxiety and Depressions Association of America<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Without our health, we don’t have much. That’s why it’s crucial to stage an intervention for a loved one who is battling a hoarding problem so that he or she can happily start anew.<\/p>\n Do you have a loved one who has experienced a hoarding problem, or have you staged a hoarding intervention? Give us your tips in the comments section below.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hoarding goes beyond just the junk drawer, a household staple. It’s\u00a0a subject\u00a0that’s been captured on the television show “Hoarders,” continuously shocking\u00a0viewers–but in reality, it’s a serious threat to both mental and physical health. It often stems from depression, anxiety or other psychological conditions, namely obsessive-compulsive tendencies. A hoarder endures severe bouts of anxiety when it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":198,"featured_media":36421,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11,212,7,199],"tags":[39,40,240,353,86,2169,174],"class_list":["post-36410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-organization-tips","category-storage-2","category-tips-tricks","category-your-home","tag-cleaning","tag-clutter","tag-diy","tag-hoarding","tag-how-to","tag-planning","tag-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/198"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36410"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36410\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46332,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36410\/revisions\/46332"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"How](\"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/people-150x150.png\")
Plan your approach.<\/h3>\n![\"How](\"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/tool-150x150.png\")
Start the de-cluttering process.<\/h3>\n![\"How](\"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/buildings-150x150.png\")
Get a storage unit.<\/h3>\n![\"How](\"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/close-150x150.png\")
Enlist the help of boxes and labels.<\/h3>\n![\"How](\"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/icon-150x150.png\"){kind=icon}
Recruit psychological\u00a0help.<\/h3>\n