Health agencies target hoarding

WISCONSIN RAPIDS –

When emergency crews responded to a house engulfed in flames in the town of Sigel on Jan. 30, 2013, they encountered an unexpected problem: hoarding.

Firefighters had to cut out the frame of the front door because it was obstructed by a pile of magazines, clothing and other objects. The garage, the only other route inside the home, was similarly filled with miscellaneous items, according to a police report.

Three people died.

A family member of the victims later told police he had not been inside the house for at least seven years because it "was completely piled full of what he termed to be mostly junk," the report says.

Now, officials are taking action to prevent future tragedies by raising awareness of hoarding — a recognized condition in which people have a compulsive need to collect objects regardless of their value.

PDF: Hoarding resource guide

"These cases are usually pretty overwhelming," said Kate Carlson, a sanitarian with the Wood County Health Department.

The department is leading a work group composed of social workers, counselors, law enforcement, emergency medical providers and landlords, among others. It has been meeting since late last year, and so far, has produced two resource guides about hoarding — one for the public and another for responders who encounter hoarding situations.

A key theme in their message: hoarding is a mental illness, and it does not occur because of laziness or a lack of cleanliness.

"We wanted to kind of demystify the behavior," said Nancy Eggleston, a supervisor in the health department.

It does not formally track hoarding cases, but they have become more prevalent in recent years, according to Eggleston.

Similar efforts to address hoarding are under way in Marathon and Portage counties.

The government generally has authority to intervene when a hoarding situation impairs public health and safety or endangers the lives of others, including children who might live in a hoarding environment.

Hoarders who collect animals also present delicate issues. If the animals are sick, they often will not be accepted at a shelter, Eggleston said. Hoarded animals may be treated if the owner can afford such treatment, but if not, the animals might be euthanized.

Yet if a hoarder is not harming others, the health department's reach is limited.

"If they're competent adults, and they're not hurting anyone else, it's hard for us," Eggleston said.

People who hoard can experience anxiety when discarding items, find it difficult to organize possessions and obsess over running out of products. Hoarding can cause social isolation, stress relationships and cause medical problems.

And that implicates one of the other challenges presented by hoarding: communication. The work group wants the public to know that counseling services are available for hoarders.

To that end, the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Portage and Wood Counties has organized events about hoarding in Wisconsin Rapids and Nekoosa. The gatherings will combine education and basic support for people who hoard and for their families. The programs are open to the public and reservations are not necessary.

You can contact reporter Jonathan Anderson at 715-384-3131, ext. 328, or follow him on Twitter @jonathanderson.

Community outreach meetings

The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Portage and Wood Counties has scheduled public gatherings about hoarding. The open forums will be held at the following times and locations.

June 23, 6:30 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids: Location to be determined.

June 24, 6:30 p.m. Nekoosa: Charles and JoAnn Lester Public Library, 100 Park St.

July 14, 6:30 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids: Location to be determined.

July 22, 6:30 p.m. Nekoosa: Charles and JoAnn Lester Public Library, 100 Park St.

For more information, visit http://www.namiportagewoodcounties.org/ or contact the group's president, Kay Jewell, at (715) 254-1864.