Treatment Options for OCHD.

   Research Projects.

OCHD will have to be studied more intensively still to give a clear answer on how to treat this.

Strangly enough does a large percentage of those who Hoard seem to not be distressed by their living conditions and is the person asking for the changes often a relative or friend. But this outside pressure isn't always considered to be very motivating and changes will and can only happen when the Hoarder himself is willing enough.
But many simply refuse the help or treatment or drop- out.

So how is help found?
First of the person who Hoard will have to acknowledge the problem and be willing to seek help. The best approach is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Behavior Therapy.
Click Here for an ARTICLE concerning Hoarding/BT.

This type of therapy will try to alter the person's thinking, which is based on many misconceptions or views.
Several mechanisms may be at the base for the Hoarding behavior and all will have to be gradually dismantled to come to a solution.

Gradually is 1 of the key- words in treating a person with Hoarding behavior.
Since many already seem unwilling to seek treatment, changes will have to be made slowly. If the main goal is to ask them to discard of their items as fast as possible the reluctancy will be too great and they probably won't even stay to try.
So small and manageable goals have to be discussed and agreed to.

Some suggest that persuading them to discards their items is too much to ask, and will instead suggest options such as recycling, sharing and/or giving away to charities and so on. While this may work when the patient has some guidance, when facing this alone this method may simply add a step to the process of getting rid of items and thus not be the solution either.

As a Hoarder you can get better, you just have to be willing to invest the effort and to believe you can do this.

The more people who Hoard will dare to step forward to seek treatment, the better the treatments will become since this means that there will be more cases to be studied, more facts to look into. Also, the higher the number of sufferers, the more the Medical World will become interested to help and find cures with more money backing up the research projects.
By raising popular awareness and asking for professional help some of the shame may finally start to lessen and solutions start to increase.