A UK house clearance specialist has welcomed an initiative to create ‘anti-hoarding teams’, to tackle mental health issues that worsened during the pandemic.

LONDON, GREATER LONDON, ENGLAND, September 12, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Abacus House Clearance is often at the ‘coal-face’, dealing with the aftermath of a serious problem that is now believed to affect around 1.2 million people in the UK.

Hoarding is not simply a case of homeowners or tenants who are reluctant to declutter. It’s a mental illness known as ‘hoarding disorder’ and affects between 2.5% and 6% of the UK population, according to Hoarding Disorders UK, an organisation that has seen calls to its helpline 'spike sharply' in recent years.

Where in the country is hoarding most prevalent?

Hoarding is a UK-wide issue, however, one area where the illness has been identified as particularly prevalent is Norwich. Researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA) have formed a partnership with housing officers from Norwich City Council to find robust solutions, which include registering hoarding cases on a shared database.

The researchers have also recommended improved training and specialist anti-hoarding teams to help vulnerable people to address the issue in a sensitive way.

"We work regularly with hoarders all throughout the UK,” said Konstantin Tsubarenko, director of Abacus House Clearance, “and some of the worst cases of hoarding and cluttering we have seen have been in Norwich. We feel that this is a really important step that local authorities should undertake.”

According to the UEA research, of the cases they studied 87% were people who lived alone, and almost half (47%) were classified as disabled or vulnerable.

These findings correlate with the NHS stance on the issue “hoarding is a condition in itself and often associated with self-neglect.” The NHS also says hoarders are likely to live on their own and may have associated issues such as OCD and depression.

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/hoarding-disorder/

Hoarding is a safety risk, according to Abacus House Clearance. It can become a fire hazard, as well as make it hard for people to keep their homes clean.

Lead researcher Dr Sarah Hanson, from UEA’s School of Health Sciences, was quoted in the LocalGov publication saying: “‘As well as affecting the individual’s health and wellbeing, hoarding often affects relationships and family life. It can also cause significant fire and environmental health risks and a significant economic burden to housing providers and emergency services.”

https://www.localgov.co.uk/Councils-need-anti-hoarding-teams-researchers-say-/53893

Abacus House Clearance has experienced the issue firsthand due to its dedication to tackling even the most challenging of environments. The London-based company offers a trauma cleaning service – where sensitivity is certainly required – alongside a range of other specialist home cleaning and clearance help in the UK.

Konstantin Tsubarenko
Abacus House Clearance
+44 20 3740 3330
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