"The garage in their Pontiac home was filled with food, much of it perishable. Animals got into it. Summer arrived. The toxic smell of rotted food was inescapable. Uhle hoped someone would intervene, but no one did. Had her parents lived elsewhere, perhaps the story would have ended differently. Gleason and colleagues (2021) address this dilemma directly in "Managing hoarding and squalor," noting that general practitioners often play a key role in recognizing and managing these situations before they become dangerous."
"Many people think hoarding and squalor are the same thing-a cluttered house piled high with stuff and difficult to clean. But while they often overlap, they are separate problems that require different kinds of help. Hoarding and Squalor: Understanding the Difference Hoarding disorder is a recognized mental illness listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition ( DSM-5). It centers on emotional resistance to discarding possessions."
A residence with perishable food left in a garage attracted animals and produced a toxic, inescapable smell without any intervention despite clear danger. General practitioners can play a key role in identifying and managing hoarding and squalor before conditions become hazardous. Hoarding disorder is a DSM-5 diagnosis characterized by intense distress at discarding possessions and accumulation that can render rooms unusable. Squalor denotes a severely unclean physical environment that can stem from hoarding, neglect, poor health, or cognitive decline; physical impairments often contribute. Both conditions increase risks of fire, falls, blocked emergency access, and severe injury.
Read at Psychology Today
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