Ng (second from right) during a door-to-door campaign on dengue prevention, urging people not to keep unwanted items in their house
ONE in every 50 people are likely to be hoarders, a recycling organisation expert said.
Koperasi Alam Hijau Perak Bhd (Kohijau) chairman Associate Prof Dr Richard Ng said during their door-to-door dengue campaign, the Kohijau members have seen many cases of hoarders.
Ng, who is also the Ipoh City Watch president said, according to statistics, almost one in every 50 people is a hoarder, or display tendencies to be a compulsive hoarder.
“Local authorities need to step-in after identifying a person who is a suspected hoarder because of the danger they pose to themselves and others,” he said.
He said a supportive environment is required to encourage family members who are hoarders to seek help and treat them.
“Hoarders do not like people to take their possessions or clean up their environment unless they see a benefit from doing it.
“Therefore the Kohijau-iCycle recycling reward point system is a method that can help the society embrace the 3R (reduce, reuse,recycle) culture, and prevent them from hoarding as the system encourages people from discarding their unwanted items and be rewarded for it,” he added.
Ng added that the hoarding usually runs in a family largely because of psychological problems.
He said many hoarders are perfectionists and have fear of making the wrong decisions about what to keep and what to discard, thus they keep everything.
He added that compulsive hoarding in its worst forms could cause fires, unsanitary conditions (infestations of rats and cockroaches), and other health and safety hazards.
“If we observe people who hoards, they tend to hold onto a large number of items that most people consider useless or worthless.
“Some examples will be old catalogues, magazines, newspapers, worn out cooking utensils, clothes, items which are broken and trash.
“However their homes are cluttered to the point where it might even be inaccessible,” he said, adding that the mess is at a point where it causes illness, distress and impairment.
Ng said hoarders would not allow visitors, such as family and friends into their house, and sometimes repairs works are not done as they might feel embarrassed by their clutter.
He said arguments are common with hoarders and their family members regarding the clutter.
“Such hoarders can be treated through cognitive behaviour therapy which may help them change their behaviour,” he added.
Dr Ng said hoarding is an act of compulsive purchasing, acquiring, searching and saving items that have little or no value.
He said the behaviour usually has harmful effects – emotional, physical, social, financial and ever legal - for a hoarder and family members.
It is found that many people with hoarding disorder also experience other mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and hyperactivity, which may develop along with other mental illnesses such as dementia and schizophrenia.
“The compulsion to hoard often starts during childhood or their teenage years, but it usually becomes more severe in their adulthood” he added.
https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2018/01/09/compulsive-behaviour-issues-expert-says-one-in-every-50-people-could-be-hoarders-but-assures-conditi/
No comments:
Post a Comment