Comments for Children of Hoarders

Comment on Overcoming Doorbell Dread by teacher friend

teacher friend — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:36:00 +0000

I am proud of everyone on this site for sharing their experiences and their triumphs. I am a teacher of a COH and I wanted to learn more about how I can support their healing as their home had to be cleaned out by the city because it was so filthy. Thank you for shedding more light on what my student is experienceing.

Comment on Excuses We Hear by Gotta_luv_art

Gotta_luv_art — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:03:00 +0000

Story of my life. I’m 20 and my house was constantly packed to the roof with stuff, most of which I have no idea what it is and I am not allowed to touch any of it. I keep thinking there’s no more room, I can’t even get through the doorway (I don’t have a door) to my room without turning sideways to avoid things taking up the other half of it. The grass in the backyard is taller than the cars and other crap that are packed into it. I have siblings in their 40s and they say it was the same when they were growing up. I moved out for a year to study, but had no choice but to come back when I had to drop out of the course due to depression. It sucks, you want to get out so you’re happier, you need money to move out, you can’t work to get money because the depression affects you too much, and around the circle it goes. Have to see a doctor, counsellor and psychologist to cope with it all, even then just barely.
Hate to say it, but life was sooooo much better when I didn’t live with my parents…

Comment on CA by Children of Hoarders, Inc.

Children of Hoarders, Inc. — Sat, 12 May 2012 03:00:00 +0000

San Francisco:
Peer-Led Hoarding Response Team

http://www.mentalhealthsf.org/programs/peer-response/

Comment on Intnl.: UK by Children of Hoarders, Inc.

Children of Hoarders, Inc. — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:56:00 +0000

CHAnGE – Compulsive Hoarding Action Group Edinburgh
From
July on, our support group will take place at Royal Edinburgh Hospital
(kennedy tower) who give us the room FREE of charge. Thank you!

Comment on Research/Research Articles re: COH by Children of Hoarders, Inc.

Children of Hoarders, Inc. — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:42:00 +0000

Participate in this online survey by THE HOARDING PROJECT: the first
large-scale study that examines the combined influence that family
experiences and unresolved trauma have on the severity of hoarding
behavior. Learn more and contribute your input here!:
http://thehoardingproject.org/projects

Comment on Overcoming Doorbell Dread by Dandux

Dandux — Wed, 09 May 2012 02:49:00 +0000

Thank you for all the good advice… I’m sure this is useful for anybody, not only hoarders or their family. Wonderful tips.

Comment on Overcoming Doorbell Dread by Krojas

Krojas — Sun, 06 May 2012 00:39:00 +0000

I completely understand…. My house is clean, but inorder to have guests it has to be spotless! And the fact that I may have someone over whose house I consider cleaner than mine makes me crazy… and dont you know I am always surrounded by clean freaks….. its exhausting. So I have taken to not have anyone over and not answer the doorbell …as a matter of fact I may disconnect the damn thing. I literally would like to have a locked gate so no one can enter!
And a sign that says ” If you werent invited cont bother to knock”

Comment on Overcoming Doorbell Dread by Healing

Healing — Sat, 05 May 2012 21:16:00 +0000

Like everyone else… This is ME! Not that I want anyone else to have experienced what I did just because, it is comforting to know that I am not crazy. That the anxiety I feel when having to entertain, the feeling of not getting my house clean enough, or even worse when my mom visits, is not isolated. I always thought that I should have become a hoarder too, but I am inordinately clean, in fact, I find myself throwing probably good things/ things that could be donated away just to clear my space. I am more traumatized than I knew.

Comment on Occupations of Our Parents by Curly

Curly — Wed, 02 May 2012 22:22:00 +0000

My mom is a hoarder and she is a psychiatrist. Makes it incredibly hard to talk to her about the issue.

Comment on Occupations of Our Parents by nc mom

nc mom — Wed, 02 May 2012 01:54:00 +0000

I have two parents who are hoarders, and my mother is also a nurse. Which was the profession available to most women of the 40-60′s who had any kind of math or science aptitude. I have been wondering if there is some kind of codependant quality of women who are nurses that makes them want to give and give where they are recognized (at work) and then have general apathy with their family. (I am a stay at home mom and I love it, but admit to anybody that you don’t get general recognition for the work done there… its just how it goes.) With codependants (and my mom is one, for sure – parents were abusive, she would seek recognition from them by performing at school… they are still abusive in some ways.. and she is in her 60′s) there is that need to be loved by people who aren’t loving… and in the work place you are not with loving people… but good performance at work does end up giving you positive feedback in the form of raises, recognition, etc. I just wonder if anybody has done research on codependancy playing into this problem of hoarding… contributing to it.

Comment on Blogs by COH by a long road home

a long road home — Tue, 01 May 2012 08:43:00 +0000

I have never come across anything so clear and apparent as this disorder yet it is so invisible to the person who is suffering with it… My dad has always been a collector- whether it be stamps or records when he was a kid to now extrapolated to everything you can think of. But mainly books. His collection of books has gradually increased and increased since i started reading and collecting comics as a teenager. I stopped in my late years of high school yet he kept buying and collecting them and set up a stall selling them. This developed into novels and used my mum as an excuse (she reads a lot of books) as a reason in bringing more and more home. My brother died over 10 years ago now and since then and since I left home (straight after school – 13 years ago) his collecting has just gotten out of control. My mother is in a wheelchair with brain damage from a MC crash 25 years ago and he (my dad) looks after her full time. He goes to opportunity shops on almost a daily basis to buy more and more and now the house, garage, shed, bathroom included is filled with boxes of books from floor to ceiling with this ridiculous path trhough the house from front door to kitchen-to bathroom-to a small area in their bedroom where they sleep. I feel so helpless about this. I fought with dad for years and years about this though as i dont live near them i can block it out of my mind more easily now but then i feel like i have given up and i should be doing more. I feel so bad for my mum’s increased lack of mobility and of course, like so many other people here, am so scared of what will happen when my dad passes away or becomes less able to look after himself and my mum. This is just a vent but good on this website- I’m certain it gives relief to so many. I am a psychologist by trade ( and no this does not make my dealing with this much easier if at all). Good luck to all those out there suffering in the same way as me. Be kind to those who you love- I’m sure this is the only way anything will ever change.

Comment on Occupations of Our Parents by Dandux

Dandux — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:00:00 +0000

This is totally out of topic but I have a practical question. How do you clean profoundaly a house of a hoarder? I’ve heard the Monofoil Technology is the best to clean and protect but would love to hear from your experiences.

Comment on Tracy’s Story by Gigisonline

Gigisonline — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 05:37:00 +0000

No One Else Wants to See the Truth! And this person is only 31, an asset to the medical field but probably by now has well over 100 canines and more than she could count of Felines. I’m a couple of States away and yet this issue will not let me rest. If I don’t try to seek help for her, who will? No one wants to make her mad. Any suggestions on who I should contact in Clovis NM; Just someone who can drive out there and ck out the metal building? She won’t allow company and has everyone convinced it’s spotless. But how can two people work 8 hours a day and maintain health, meds, tacks, fleas etc? And forget about the times I’m sure she’s been bitten; shell never say. This is going to kill her if she doesn’t get help soon! Thanks for listening. GG

Comment on Intnl.: UK by Children of Hoarders, Inc.

Children of Hoarders, Inc. — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 22:11:00 +0000

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/hoarding-convention-addresses-treatments-clutter/story?id=16226059#.T5rAz3qvl2I

Hypnotherapist Helps Compulsive Hoarder Let Go

Last night on the UKs Channel 4
leading British hypnotherapist and hypnotherapy teacher Darren Marks was
featured helping a man with an overwhelming hoarding problem come to
terms with the idea of letting go of a large proportion of his massive
collection.

Comment on Occupations of Our Parents by sisofhoardergirl

sisofhoardergirl — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 05:43:00 +0000

This is so interesting. My sister is a xray technician, unemployed currently for failure to show up on time repeatedly(and then writing a 4 page letter explaining why her life was so hard and she should be given preferential treatment blah, blah…) Her life is not so hard btw, she has a husband at wits end, who supports her habit, teenager just chomping on the bit to leave, tweens that are having to care for themselves and the younger sib. Has an excuse for everything. My mother has the tendencies, but less so, she was a Phlebotomist for 40 years.