Hoarding is a mental disorder in which people hoard objects and possessions to an extent that it causes significant distress or impairment. People with hoarding disorder often have difficulty making decisions and organizing their living space, leading to anxiety and a sense of helplessness. Hoarders typically live in cluttered homes filled with objects of all kinds – books, clothes, furniture, newspapers, and anything else that could be hoarded. The hoarded items can become a great source of stress for family members who struggle to find the available space to move around or just to clean up. Hoarding and undiscovered death!
Unattended death is the phenomenon of a deceased individual not being discovered in their home for an extended period of time. This can occur when someone dies alone and is not found for days or weeks after their death. It can also happen if someone with hoarding disorder dies in their home without anyone knowing about it because of the clutter and hoarded items covering the body.
Unattended deaths
When unattended death occurs, there are several considerations that must be taken into account by emergency responders, such as family members or law enforcement personnel. First, they must properly identify the decedent. This is often complicated by hoarding due to numerous items blocking sightlines and access points within the home making it difficult to reach certain parts of the residence where a body may be located. Second, depending on how long it has been since the person died, there may be health risks associated with decomposing bodies like bacteria growth and airborne pathogens which requires special safety procedures when entering the area. Thirdly, there may be mental health issues related to hoarding if one was present prior to death that should be taken into consideration during emergency response efforts so as not to further exacerbate existing psychological issues caused by hoarding behavior of the deceased individual or family members present at the scene.
The combination of hoarding and unattended death can have devastating effects on those involved with emergency response efforts as well as family members who discover their loved ones passed away without anyone knowing until after days or weeks later in some cases due to intense clutter inside their homes from hoarded items masking any signs of life within them before discovery happened. It’s important for those involved with such situations understand all facets regarding hoarding behavior prior to involvement so they can respond better during these tragic events while keeping themselves safe from potential harms associated with unattended deaths caused by hoarding disorder in certain cases.
