Hoarding is increasingly recognized as a significant problem within the Island Health region. An estimated 1 in 25 people have some level of hoarding behaviour, and about 11,000 homes may have a hoarding problem in the Greater Victoria area.
Hoarding is not the same as collecting
Hoarding is the compulsive purchasing, acquiring, searching, and saving of items that have little or no value. The behavior usually has deleterious effects—emotional, physical, social, financial, and even legal—for a hoarder and family members. For those who hoard, the quantity of their collected items sets them apart from other people. Commonly hoarded items may be newspapers, magazines, paper and plastic bags, cardboard boxes, photographs, household supplies, food, and clothing. [source: Anxiety and Depression Association of America]
People hoard for many reasons, among them the belief that their possessions will be useful or valuable in the future, have sentimental value, are unique and irreplaceable, or because they can’t decide where something goes, it’s better just to keep it. Hoarders generally experience embarrassment about their possessions and feel uncomfortable when others see them. Their clutter often takes over functional living space, and they feel sad or ashamed after acquiring additional items. Also, they often incur great debt, sometimes extreme. [source: Anxiety and Depression Association of America]
The mobile home of North Vancouver resident Shannon Studer is so cluttered with mountains of belongings that the 52-year-old can’t even sleep on her bed. Read the story and see video at CTV News.
Hoarding education and action team (HEAT) in Greater Victoria
It is estimated that one in 25 people in Greater Victoria, British Columbia is directly affected by hoarding. The Hoarding Education and Action Team (HEAT), founded in 2012, provides comprehensive services and increases the safety for those afflicted and impacted by hoarding. The HEAT collaborative partnership includes the Victoria and Saanich Fire Departments, Island Health, SPCA, municipal services, concerned non-profit organizations, landlords, volunteers, and private de-cluttering services. Local fire departments are frequently the first point of contact for hoarding issues, but effective help can be hampered by the complexity of hoarding situations. [source: City of Victoria]
When someone phones the HEAT hotline, [according to Megan] Sabell [an inspector with the Victoria Fire Department] said they will first determine which area of Greater Victoria the person lives in and then direct them to the appropriate fire department. Then the fire department will speak with the tenant about their situation. “A lot of what we do is education, just explaining to them the risks associated with it.” — Megan Sabell in Victoria News (Dec. 1, 2014)
The American Psychiatric Association’s DSM 5 manual of disorders has recently included “hoarding disorder”, for the first time, among its list of obsessive disorders. Read the descriptions here (in PDF).
Hoarding has recently been recognized as a diagnosable mental condition that requires mental health treatment as well as practical management strategies for de-cluttering, and maintaining a healthy home environment. Sometimes, it can be challenging to know if the clutter you observe is really so concerning. To help you take a realistic look at clutter problems, a leading scientist has created a picture-based clutter scale to help you take stock of the clutter problem you are concerned about. [source: Island Health]
We can start with a strategy that will keep it from getting worse or maybe we can see it getting better. Maybe we can stop someone from being evicted or having their children removed. — Dr. Eric Ochs, in Times Colonist (Feb. 16, 2014)
We speak with registered psychologist Dr. Eric Ochs (picture right), who is also the clinical lead for the HEAT (hoarding education and action) team in Greater Victoria.
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audio: Hoarding is increasingly a problem & hazard – interview with Eric Ochs, psychologist http://t.co/U5P64k9cnL pic.twitter.com/K41xvSGC13
— People First Radio (@peoplefirstrad) February 27, 2015
