Description
Book SynopsisHow to take back your life when your things are taking over. Why does Cliff, a successful lawyer who regularly wins landmark cases, step over two-foot piles of paper whenever he opens his front door? Why do Joan and Paul ask Children's Services to take their three children instead of decluttering their home? Why does Lucinda feel intense pressure to hold onto her family's heirlooms even though she has no room for them? They have hoarding disorder, which an estimated 2% to 6% of the adult population worldwide experience. Conquer the Clutter offers hope to anyone affected by hoarding. Real-life vignettes, combined with easy-to-use assessment and intervention tools, support those who hoardand those who care about them. Written by Elaine Birchall, a social worker dedicated to helping people declutter and achieve long-term control over their belongings, the book provides an overview of hoarding, defining what it isand is not explains the difference between clutter and hoarding describe
Trade ReviewWarm and big-hearted . . . The real-life case studies in part two bring the book alive, offering inspiration for change . . . [Birchall's] common sense and compassion come across loud and clear.
—Helen Lowe,
Healthcare Counselling and Psychotherapy JournalThe authors of this optimistic book are a powerful combination of a get-up-and-go social worker who remains unfazed and energetic no matter what troubles are put in front of her, and her friend, Suzanne, who is also highly organised in presenting advice in the form of easily digested tables, lists and photographs . . . The book includes a set of very useful questionnaires on hoarding that may help people already prone to clutter to avoid entering the hoarding diagnostic arena, has sensible interventions to ensure collaboration, and adds substantially to input from health professionals. It is a mine of information that should be tapped.
—Peter Tyrer,
British Journal of PsychiatryBeautiful book, accessible to everyone and absolutely interesting. Highly recommended.
—Anna Maria Polidori
When does a messy house cross the line into a mental health crisis? [Birchall] identifies the tell-tale signs—and explains how to safely intervene.
—Lauren Paige Kennedy,
WebMD MagazineTable of ContentsAcknowledgments
How to Navigate the Book
Prologue
Introduction
Part I. Understanding Hoarding and What It Takes to Clear Your Path
Chapter 1. Overview of Hoarding
Chapter 2. Environmental and Self-Assessment
Chapter 3. Goals
Chapter 4. Take Back Your Life
Chapter 5. Procrastination
Part II. Moving Forward: Inspiration from Those Who Have Gone before You
Chapter 6. The Impact of Hoarding on Families: Her Pills Haven't Worked Yet
Chapter 7. The Impact of Grief: Drowning in Loss
Chapter 8. Impulse Shopping: Can't Buy Happiness
Chapter 9. The Sandwich Generation: Overwhelming Obligation
Chapter 10. A Life Stored, Not Lived: Secondary Diogenes Syndrome in Seniors
Chapter 11. Professional at Work, Powerless at Home: Secret Lives
Chapter 12. Disabled in Dire Straits
Chapter 13. Home Is Where the Heart Is: Disconnecting from Your Environment
Chapter 14. Collateral Damage: Adult Children of Hoarders, Seniors Living with Hoarders, and Neighbors
Chapter 15. The Last Word
Part III. Getting There: Resources, Tips, and Tools
Chapter 16. Resources
Appendix. Case Review from Birchall Consulting and Associates, Inc.
References
Index
