There’s a dirty secret in neighborhoods all across the United States, giving Inspector Darren Johnson an unusual beat.
He’s part of a special hoarding team at California’s Orange County Fire Department.
Instead of eviction, however, the Orange County team uses a new tactic – compassion – to teach hoarders how to pull themselves out of their mess by bringing in clean-up crews. While also providing help by providing access to mental health services.
The strategy was a welcome approach for a retired Orange County psychiatrist who asked ABC News not to use his name. He said he didn’t consider himself a hoarder and that his mess had stemmed from a depression triggered by a breakup.
Teams like the one in Orange County are springing up across the country to address the growing problem. Hoarding affects an estimated 2 percent to 5 percent of the population, according to the American Psychological Association. Long considered a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder, it was reclassified this year as a unique psychiatric condition.
The health hazards and potential for fires pose a risk to the people who live in hoarder homes as well as their neighbors.
