Hundreds of thousands of people with hoarding disorder live in squalid conditions around Australia. As the scope of the problem becomes apparent, experts are calling for more investment in treatment to safeguard the health of sufferers and the general public, writes Jeremy Story Carter.

Two and a half years ago, a five-year-old boy cut his foot on an open can of pet food at his Melbourne home.

Several days later, his mother rushed him to a nearby ambulance office.

Every situation where hoarding is occurring has the potential to become dangerous. Associate Professor Jessica Grisham, UNSW

He had stopped breathing. Paramedics could not revive him.

His parents pleaded guilty to criminal charges for the risks they had exposed their child to: their house was littered with rubbish, toys, broken furniture, spoiled food, mould, empty bottles and faeces. They were hoarders.

That case prompted the Victorian State Government to recently announce that it would provide funding for rural councils to be trained in identifying hoarders.

Associate Professor Jessica Grisham from the University of New South Wales' School of Psycholgy specialises in hoarding behaviours.

'It is a bigger problem than anyone previously realised,' she says.

'We think that 1-2 per cent of the population of Australia might have clinically significant hoarding problems.'

She says many hoarders either lack insight into their problems, or experience a sense of shame around their behaviour, and the true number of people affected nationally may be much higher.

'They might not be able to see it themselves, but friends, family and neighbours can see that is dangerous and disabling.'

Professor Grisham says a complex interaction of factors is often the cause of hoarding behaviours.

While hoarding can be prompted by traumatic events such as a death or divorce, genetic predisposition may be at the root of the problem.

'We see very high rates of depression and anxiety in hoarding disorder,' says Professor Grisham. 'It tends to be a very complex, challenging problem to treat.'

Hoarders not only suffer from health and safety risks moving throughout their homes, but also pose a fire risk to the broader community.

'Every situation where hoarding is occurring has the potential to become dangerous.'

According to Simone Iseman, a clinical psychologist with Lifeline who trains people to identify and work with hoarders, more investment is needed in treatment.

'There's not a lot of treatment options out there, even if you have insight and are seeking help,' she says.

'It is one thing identifying people with hoarding or squalor issues, but if you don't have anyone who is skilled or equipped to help or treat them, then that is a problem.'

Ms Iseman acknowledges that there is a tension between ensuring that a person's right to live a certain way is not being impeded, and offering support so that hoarding behaviours don't impact that person or the health and safety of the broader public.

According to Associate Professor Grisham, the huge number of hoarders in Australia come from all socio-economic groups.

'We will have people who are quite wealthy who have the money to keep buying things and have very large homes,' she says.

'We have hoarding clients who are physicians and psychiatrists and extremely well-educated, as well as those less-educated at the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum.'



If you are seeking help or more information on hoarding, visit the Anxiety Recovery Centre.