The Diogenes syndrome in modern times is being studied under the close attention of specialists. The so-called pathological hoarding manifests itself in almost 2% of the total population of the planet. For some, this is expressed in the accumulation of old and unnecessary things, and for someone – in the accumulation of animals.

The syndrome of pathological hoarding can progress and lead to poor results. For example, in tandem with other psychological disorders, hoarding can become a disease. Sometimes the police are faced with the fact that people fill up their homes with garbage, not wanting to throw it away. And someone keeps 40-50 cats / dogs at home, guaranteeing themselves unsanitary conditions.

Origin and specificity of the syndrome

Diogenes syndrome or pathological hoarding does not occur by itself. Usually this is facilitated by a microtrauma of the cerebral cortex in a certain area. For many, this occurs with age, after 50 years. And often such a diagnosis is made to people who have signs of a mental disorder (schizophrenia and the like).

Specialists have long conducted research to study the activity of certain parts of the cerebral cortex . It turned out that the cause of the problem is hyperfunction and hypofunction of different parts of the brain. In 60% of cases, hoarding syndrome is accompanied by other diseases. For example, dementia (dementia or insanity). This is especially true if a person suffers from collecting animals in excessive quantities.

How to act?

Before treating pathological hoarding, it is necessary to understand the cause of the problem itself. Often the help of a psychiatrist is required not by ourselves, but by relatives or even neighbors. Often problems arise due to accumulations of garbage, things, animals, unsanitary conditions. And neither the police nor the house managers can influence a person. This dependence is the need for complex treatment.

It can be fully implemented in Moscow. In the Korsakov clinic, specialists know how to treat Diogenes syndrome in people of all ages. Unfortunately, half of the cases are progressive and often in a neglected state. There are several ways to solve the problem. And they relate to inpatient treatment and supervision of psychologists. Today, methods such as hypnosis, physical influence (restriction of movement) and so on are not used. It is rational to introduce new medications, control the patient’s body and try to restore his mental activity to normal.

If you begin to notice the symptoms of hoarding in yourself or your friends/neighbors, then seek the advice of specialists.

Do you want to understand if the syndrome is inherent in you or your loved ones? Try to throw away something that is not needed or old and check the reaction of the owner of the thing. Aggression, outright rejection, and attempts to make excuses and keep trash (or something that really has no value) are signs of frustration.