Posts Tagged: therapy

self-knowledge — No Comments
17
Oct 11

How to Deal with Compulsive Hoarding

It can be difficult to treat compulsive hoarding – the reason is that this disorder is diagnosed late in life when the symptoms have become very severe. Compulsive hoarders are referred to as pack rats in popular culture, which simply does not do justice to the severity of this affliction. Usually, hoarders live alone, which is great because no one can get into the house anyway, and they would die before letting someone in. As with all mental disorders, these people have a sense that something is wrong with them and do not want anyone to see how they live. In some extreme cases, they never leave the house. Compulsive hoarding interferes with basic activities such as sleeping, cleaning, cooking, and showering.

This disorder involves excessive acquisition of items, even though they are usually worthless and dangerous. Some people hoard pets, with tens and sometimes hundreds of pets in their home, living in unsanitary and unhealthy conditions. Veterinarians are sometimes the first to grasp the magnitude of this disorder with the same client bringing in sick or injured pets day after day.

The big problem is when compulsive hoarders have children. The home environment is extremely unhealthy, and the children grow up knowing that something is wrong with their family. They know that they are not like other people, and they are never supposed to let others into the house. They are unable to interact normally and usually do not have any friends. When they finally move out, they are riddled with guilt about not having done anything for their parents. They do not feel comfortable reporting their parents to the police, as this is often necessary. There is a real chance of a fatal accident occurring. This is not as rare as people think. Oftentimes, these over-cluttered premises catch fire, and firefighters cannot get in, because all the entryways are blocked by junk, and the place burns down along with everyone living there. Sometimes the fire spreads to the other storeys, if the person is living in an apartment building, and there are many victims. Other times, these habits result in rat and roach infestations. Some hoarders stow food in their fridge that is way past its expiration date, eat it, and get very sick.

Sometimes compulsive hoarding is associated with the obsessive-compulsive disorder, but there is no empirical evidence of this yet. Compulsive hoarding is on the rise because people find safety in possessions in times of crisis, and this can be taken to the extreme.

Compulsive hoarding is often typical of the elderly, who find solace in the junk they pile up because of the memories. If someone comes in their home to clean up they become very angry because they feel their memories are being thrown away.

It is extremely difficult to deal with CH. Medications targeting serotonin uptake can help, but that serves only to control the symptoms. Medications should always be administered in combination with psychotherapy, of which Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the most suitable. CBT helps clients come to terms with inappropriate behavior and adopt more suitable models of behavior.

family life — No Comments
13
Oct 11

How to Help Children of Addicts

It has been noted that addiction runs in families. The extent to which this is genetic is unclear, as the environment and social learning also play a role. Drug and alcohol addiction are polygenic illnesses – a lot of factors come into play in terms of developing and sustaining an addiction. Children of addicts are up to nine times more likely to develop an addiction than children of non-addicts (especially men). Substance abuse defines the interaction in these families. There are higher levels of conflict, poor home management, lack of communication and adequate parenting. Children of addicts grow up experiencing higher levels of anxiety and depression. They are less resistant to stress and sometimes end up projecting this onto their own children. This is why every effort must be made to help these children while they are young and the inadequate behavior models are not yet firmly ingrained.

Children become attached to the non-addicted parent or to school counselors, teachers, and anyone who takes the time to talk to them. These professionals are required to report the abuse, but the children need more than this. They are used to hearing things like “It is your fault I drink”, “You make too much trouble”, “I am putting food on the table so shut up”, “Everybody drinks”, and so on. You have to tell them that it is not their fault their parents are that way, that their parents are sick, and even that they have every right to disapprove of their parents’ behavior. Keep in mind that children will love their parents unconditionally even though their parents do all they can to make the child hate them. They will persist in blaming themselves. When they feel frustrated, they will turn to alcohol or drugs, because that is the model they have seen. What we inherit is a dependent personality, not “alcoholic genes” or whatever. We inherit a tendency to become dependent, be it on drugs or on other people. In other words, we have a predisposition to become addicts. When we experience stress, we deal with it stereotypically – by drowning it in liquor instead of looking for a constructive answer to the problem, which is the harder thing to do. Recovered alcohol addicts always say that alcohol has a way of making things better until it suddenly destroys everything. It helps us ignore problems, but they get bigger and bigger to the point where we cannot do anything about them because the addiction has depleted our resources.

The first thing you do for children of addicts is get them out of their home. Only then can you start therapy. First, they need to deal with the stress of moving away. Then, you can start by placing them in hypothetical situations, like “What would you do if … (insert problem)”. Scan for problem-solving models – if they say something like “I would get really sad” or “really angry”, point out how and why this is not constructive. The key is for them to acquire healthy ways of dealing with stress. Applaud them wildly for each and every success, however minor it may be. Low self-esteem is at the core of all addictions and, indeed, of all mental disorders.