Condo Media - April 2021 - 22

BREAKING THROUGH THE CLUTTER
The UIC, she says, ensures all involved
parties, including the resident, have
clear and consistent expectations and
guidelines for rectifying and maintaining
a safe and sanitary home environment.
(The UIC is available at https://www.
centerforhoardingandcluttering.
com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/
UIC-Quick-Reference.pdf;
instructions and training for using
it are available at https://www.
centerforhoardingandcluttering.com/
uniform-inspection-checklist-2.)
The main obstacle to implementing
this or any method, as Matthews
mentions in the sidebar below,
is that people with hoarding disorder
often neither seek nor accept help
because they typically don't believe they
have a problem. Nevertheless, she says,
because the consequences can be dire
- causing harm to themselves or others
or losing their home - getting them to
accept help is the first step.
To resolve the immediate issue,
she says, there are remediation
services that specialize in hoarding.

For the longer term, there are support
groups, found mainly in senior centers
and area agencies on aging; Facebook
groups including the one Matthews
manages called Clutter Movement
Support; and self-help books such
as Buried in Treasures: Help for
Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and
Hoarding (Treatments That Work)
by David Tolin, Randy O. Frost, and
Gail Stekete.
" Hoarding situations are
frustrating, time consuming, and
expensive to manage. You can't expect
them to do it on their own. The ideal
approach is harm reduction, which
is best done collaboratively. This
method has proven effective with
all levels of insight, motivation, and
physical and psychological tolerance, "
says Matthews.
BOTTOM LINE
As a practical matter, Einhorn,
Collins, and Matthews all emphasize
the importance of getting the job done
while recognizing and attempting to

UNDERSTANDING
THE OFFENDER
MARNIE MATTHEWS is something of an expert on the topic of
hoarding. She says that hoarding may be temporary, chronic, or
progressive. It can be triggered by an event or illness, such as
dementia or a traumatic brain injury, that there may be a genetic
predisposition, and that hoarding as a coping mechanism may
be part of a mental health disorder such as extreme depression,
anxiety, or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
When it is due to mental health issues, it is likely to be
chronic and progressive, but may improve with treatment.
" People who hold onto things may struggle with mental health
disorders such as depression or OCD, and if we alleviate the
symptoms of that disorder, they are able to make the needed
decisions to let things go. "
Matthews says it isn't always easy to identify an individual who
hoards until coming face to face with the evidence, mainly because
it may affect them only in their personal space, such as their car
or home - where a buildup of items can make it impossible to
use areas of their house for their intended use. They are also
typically successful in other areas. " Studies show that people with
hoarding disorder have a higher-than-average IQ and educational

22

CONDOMEDIA April 2021

cater to the delicacy of the situation,
especially when the condition
meets the criteria for designation
as " hoarding disorder " - in which
case the court requires that there be
reasonable accommodation to try to
manage the issue before any action
can be taken. Therefore, once the
situation is identified - preferably with
documentation - the association should
initially proceed, starting with the least
aggressive approach and ratchet up
only if necessary. Assuming it is not an
emergency, this might progress from
an association letter describing the
violation and requesting resolution
within a given time period, to calls to
social services and the housing and/or
fire department, to court orders to enter
the premises and handle the required
removal of the owner's possessions.
■ ELLEN R. MEYER, MBA,
IS A FREELANCE WRITER
AND EDITOR.

level, are highly creative, and are
overwhelmingly perfectionistic. "
The problem, of course, is not
only the safety risk they pose
to themselves but that they can
impact the safety of so many
others. " The sheer weight of the
items can cause load problems on the
housing structure in addition to fire hazards
and infestations. The behavior also impacts their families; children
growing up in the home suffer enormous psychological damage. "
Matthews says one of the most difficult aspects of treating
people with hoarding disorder is their remarkable lack of
insight, which makes it difficult to rectify situations. " Unlike
with OCD, with hoarding disorder, the person does not see
that it is causing them harm, which makes it difficult to get
them to accept treatment. They think they just need more time
or resources to, for example, put their books in order. While
you or I might organize 50 books by genre, author, or title,
someone with hoarding disorder might organize 50 books in 50
categories because to them, everything is unique and different.
This makes it overwhelming and anxiety producing to make
decisions such as those. "
Condo Media - April 2021

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