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This form was submitted:  Jul 01 2008 / 20:29:50

Relationship = Uncle
MessageComments =

Have an uncle who goes out and garbage picks. My family has tried to have counslors come in to help him. When they do he fools them he is ok.

However our basement is stacked about 12 feet high of junk like clothes, garbage, broken things ect. He has also hoarded junk in our whole cabin and garage is filled with junk. My grandma is getting older and all of this stuff with the mold and dirt has caused some serious health problems for her. She has told my uncle he would not live there anymore if he didnt do anything and she has tried to be nice.

He does nothing and its going on 12 years of my grandmas beautful house and property being destroyed on her. She has suggested counsling or that she would help him. He however doesn't care and I'm worried that my grandma is in her late 70s and grandpa is 84 I'm worried about their health and well being and my uncle is almost 50 years old what do i do?

Seen hoarding firsthand?
MSNBC.com

When I married their son 39 years ago,
I began to notice that messy things in the sink and on the floor were
not a bother to him.  He was not uncomfortable with clutter at home,
liked animals, and was always neat and clean about his person and is to
this day! ...

Beinq married to a hoarder who is also filthy has affected me and my
children as I find myself not carryinq about how the apartment looks.
  (Can't live in the family farm house-- it should be bulldozed).  I
realize that hoardinq is not a quirky characteristic, but a form
of mental illness...

I should have seen the signs. His family lived in a dump. Their house
was filthy and full or old rotted clothes. The toilets were never
flushed and they literally had farm animals in the house. It was
unbelievable...

I began to read the stories of children of hoarders, and
they sound like my son. I react like their parents, depressed, angry,
and run out & buy more stuff. I collect papers,...

While not diminishing your pain, my focus is on the millions of other
minor kids who have no website to share their pain.  Unfortunately have
no one looking out for them due to apathy and lack of knowledge to the
very real harm to children which isn't visible like a broken arm,
bruise or other sign of abuse...

MESSAGE SENT THROUGH WEBSITE
This form was submitted:  Jan 05 2008 / 19:09:09

I am so saddened by all the postings on this site. It
points out the terrible price paid by family members of hoarders. I left
my husband because of his hoarding and his disorder is a stress still
to my child and myself. There seems to be very little help for the
family and as a result, the anger and frustration consume loved ones. I
would like every hoarder out there to realize that as painful as this is
for you to deal with, your refusal to confront it is just as painful
(maybe moreso) for the people who love you.
Relationship = ex-wife

I've been married to a serious hoarder for 26 years, during which his
hoarding has only worsened.  He is an otherwise wonderful man who
becomes terribly upset and angry if I even suggest that any of the useless,
often broken, dirty, and worn-out things he saves or brings home from
garage sales, etc. to save should be thrown out.  My biggest secret to
handling his problem is endless boxes. Here is how I handle it:..

Fast forward to about 10 years. I met and fell in love with this
wonderful women and her wonderful family, but at the time I didn't realize
the problem they all seem to share at different levels... hoarding...

There was not much I could
do to help out, since she needed complete control over the process and
my interfering ended in fights, however tactfull I would try to be. So
I too, had to learn to let go...

My nearly 20 year old children have NEVER been to their
grandparent's home. I've heard every excuse in the book...
this spring, I just "showed up" at the farm with two of my teenagers in
two. Grandpa wouldn't let us in. ..