The Effects of Hoarding on Children and Families
Hoarding creates dangerous and unhealthy living conditions within the home and if the individual who struggles with hoarding lives with children or family members, the consequences of hoarding can have major effects for them as well. Excessive hoarding creates unsanitary living conditions and children who live with parents that hoard are more vulnerable to possible disease or injury from these conditions. In these cases, the children may have to initiate the hoarding cleaning and recovery process so that the home can be restored for the good of the family.
The Psychological Impact of Hoarding
Hoarding is a mental disorder that often starts out minor and gradually develops into a severe inability to throw anything away. When parents suffer from this disorder, it can have a psychological effect on the children as well. Children of hoarders may have a difficult time understanding why their parents hoard and living in a cluttered, unsanitary home can also take its toll when they realize they are not living in a “normal” home. Approaching a hoarder to clean out their home is a delicate matter but the situation can be even more sensitive when there are also children involved.
One of the effects of hoarding on children is that their wants and needs may not be met as their parents are caught up in the disorder. The parents might also allow their collected hoard to intrude into areas of the home where their children spend a lot of time, such as their bedrooms, which puts them at greater risk for illness or injury. The best way for children to lessen the impact of hoarding is to talk to their parents about the condition of their home and try to establish a safe zone free of hoarding where the child may spend most of their time. The most important thing for the parents and children to remember in this situation is that resorting to anger will only make the problem worse.
People with hoarding issues believe that their homes are full of valuable items and precious memories but actually it is only accumulated junk that poses a great threat to their health and their social interactions and may severely hinder their children’s development.
How Counseling Can Help
Hoarding is a mental disorder that may be the manifestation of deeper psychological issues and counseling is normally the best method of addressing the issue. It may take an outside observer to help the parents realize the effects of hoarding on their children and families, and counseling can also benefit the children of hoarders to help them better understand and cope with their parents’ condition.
Regardless of who is living in the home, hoarding is as serious issue that should be addressed and the presence of children makes the situation even more urgent. The impact of hoarding can greatly affect the health and mental well-being of a child and addressing the issue will benefit everyone within the home. If you have a friend or family member whose hoarding issues affect their entire household, talk to a professional about how to approach them about hoarding cleaning in Harlingen, IL. While their children can be an important part of this approach, the involvement of other adults will help further initiate the cleaning and restoration process.
About Vince Sandri
Vince Sandri is a content writer and blogger with more than 12 years of experience. His expertise is in creating content related to disaster restoration, including information about preventing and reacting to natural disasters like flooding, water damage, fire and smoke damage, mold growth, storm damage and more.
Vince has been the main contributor to RestorationMasterFinder.com since 2014. Over that time, he has written numerous service pages and blogs for disaster restoration providers featured on RestorationMasterFinder.com. Vince has done extensive research and covered a wide range of topics relating to disaster restoration to help homeowners, business owners, and property managers better protect their property. He understands the problems that disasters like flooding, fire, smoke, and mold can cause as well as the best ways to respond to these issues to limit the damage.
Vince completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Aurora University and his master’s degree at DePaul University. He has been writing SEO website pages, blogs, and press releases since 2012. Vince is also a musician and can be seen playing in the Chicago, IL area.
