What is the Best Hoarding Treatment?

According to hoarding statistics compiled by Psychologydegree.net, 75% of hoarders were found to be engaged in uncontrolled buying activities despite their financial conditions. It was also found that nearly 50% of the hoarders were suffering from excessive acquisition habits. However, only 15% of hoarders are aware of their irrational behaviors. They deny any such habit when confronted about their situation by friends or family members. This is why friends and family members need to play an active role in encouraging their loved ones suffering from hoarding to go for hoarding treatment.

Hoarding Treatment: How can Hoarding be Treated?

Hoarding is a specific type of condition that can have a severe effect on each and every aspect of a person’s life. Treatment of hoarding tendencies is usually very difficult to undertake, as the patient is unable to recognize the negative impacts it has on their lives or faces trouble in accepting the reality that they are actually suffering from a mental condition. They think that people are just making a big fuss over nothing. As a result, they do not seek any form of treatment, which makes their condition even worse. Let us take a look at the various types of treatment methods available for hoarding:

1. Psychotherapy

Cognitive behavior therapy, a part of psychotherapy is used for hoarding treatment. This counseling approach goes beyond ‘just talking’. In this type of hoarding treatment, the therapist helps the person suffering from the disorder, learn the art of making right decisions and thinking about their possessions. Although it is difficult to say anything about how effective this therapy can be for treating hoarding, it is more successful than medication in such cases.

Some of the major benefits of this therapy are highlighted below:

• Helps in learning to categorize and organize possessions
• Improves decision making skills
• Teaches relaxation skills
• Helps in maintaining healthy habits

2. Medications

Antidepressants are the most commonly used medications for hoarding treatment. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) like Paroxetine, are used to increase serotonin activity levels in the brain. However, it is not an effective treatment for quite a few people suffering from this disorder.

Moral support from family members or friends is also very important for the person undergoing hoarding treatment. Also remember that, in order to help a person suffering from this disorder, it is critical that you never throw away the possessions of the hoarder.