How a Parent's Compulsive Hoarding Affects a Teenager

A teenager living with a parent who hoards sacrifices the fun of socializing with friends at home. Not only is the home cluttered with piles and piles of useless "stuff," the teen's room may also be filled with the hoarder's belongings. Living conditions are anything but ideal. It's just too embarrassing to let anyone inside the home.

There is an emotional drain from having to keep friends from seeing the amount of junk a parent collects. Family members may argue endlessly about the messy state of the home. Hoarding isn't fair to teens and children who have to live in unsafe and unhealthy conditions. In what other ways is a parent's hoarding a danger for teens?

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Cluttered hallways, stairways and walkways can lead to serious injury and falls.
A teen may feel isolated from friends who aren't allowed to come inside the home.
Family members can't enjoy time together. There is no place to sit or gather for any activity because of the clutter.
The relationship between the hoarding parent and a teenager can be stressful.
Dirt, insects and rodents in the cluttered home are health hazards that can cause illness and disease.
Animal hoarders endanger others in the home with fleas, bacteria, exposure to animal diseases and illnesses. Home occupants risk respiratory infection caused by pet dander and dried droppings.
A teenager with allergies suffers needlessly in a hoarder's cluttered environment.
Hygiene, nutrition, safety and personal care are all compromised when the bathroom and kitchen are filled with a hoarder's belongings.
What Hoarding Parents Risk With Teenagers Living in the Home
Family members can't eat and spend quality time together when piles of belongings occupy the dinner table. They can't watch television or associate together in the living room if all the chairs and floor are buried underneath loads of useless junk. A compulsive hoarder may unintentionally give a teenage son or daughter the impression that Mom or Dad's material belongings are more important than making the home a viable living space.

A hoarding parent who rents an apartment or house also faces possible eviction. What could be worse? If word gets to the authorities that the hoarder's home is unsafe and unhealthy, then there is the possibility that all minor children – including teens – could be removed from the home. Hoarding is a nightmare for family members, but a parent who does not provide a clean safe home for the children may face allegations of child neglect or child endangerment.

A compulsive hoarder sees the collected items as useful treasures in spite of how overwhelming the piles of "stuff" may grow. Compulsive hoarders need professional help to manage the disorder. Family members are encouraged to seek help through a professional organizer, local mental health agency or family physician. There are no "quick fixes" when treating a compulsive hoarder; treatment may last for weeks or months. For the sake of young people in the home, professional help for the hoarding parent is definitely worth pursuing.

Read more at Suite101: Teen Lifestyle Upset by a Parent's Compulsive Hoarding Disorder http://www.suite101.com/content/teen-lifestyle-upset-by-a-parents-compulsive-hoarding-disorder-a254470#ixzz10H0gCUWn