Obsessive Compulsive: My Mum Is A Hoarder (Mental Health Documentary) | Real Stories

are these new Oh, always acquiring never discarding vassula is a

hoarder

I don't care if he's falling apart daughter Jasmine has had a lifelong struggle with the condition of Vasilis author in my life I felt that my mother and things were more important than I. I tried to make her choose and she couldn't choose because it wasn't a choice, it was purely a compulsion that I couldn't control, but Jasmine finally convinced her mother to try to clean the house for good, help me, I'm playing with it, yeah, yeah , my mom is an amazing mom, she's not affectionate at all, she's interested in what we do and you know, she's a fantastic mom, she's just rubbish at housework.

Jazmin grew up in this house where Sula's mother still lives. The first room we come to is not the living room. There's not much space It's a nice open fireplace but we can't see it There are pretty things and there are all kinds of useful things that are of no use The first things I collected were small doll houses that were found in abandoned houses that had been bombed during the war in London I was about 5 or 6 years old and they were beautiful and I kept them in a box but I didn't keep them in the house I kept them in the coal yard the sudden death of Azula's father when she was only three years old meant an unstable childhood as the family moved between their native Cyprus and England.

Every time we moved from one country to another there were a lot of things we couldn't take and they got lost and I don't know if that contributed to the hoarding, but you may know that losing your precious toys as a child means you feel vulnerable and afraid. They are going to remove things, the cook is here and the thing that is here is full of things when I have to cook I just have to remove everything from some surface to be able to cook or simply cut things in the air and in the pan the daughter of the Sooners, Jasmine, is a TV host who finds beautiful homes for people to live in.

I would like to vacuum everything I vacuum the chairs I vacuum the sofas the kitchen counters Jasmine spent many years trying to get Vassula to clean the house with little success when she was a child it's impossible to deal with those types of situations you just feel ashamed and ashamed, you know? I can't invite friends. I wanted to keep it a secret and also when people came, people might make comments or they might say, You know why don't you just order? and we had always tried to tidy up and I had always tried to throw things away and that still happens to this day.

Why don't you clean it? Why don't you throw everything away? Because it does not work. Do you think we haven't tried this before? this is the only bathroom there is another bathroom upstairs but there is no other bathroom the room that was originally my own room is there I have slept in any available space I have slept on the floor on a mattress in the door I had a mattress that came out from that room to here that's Julie these pieces I don't like other people touching my things because I feel that especially some things are quite fragile at night and I feel like they're going to be careful or are they going to break it and then say oh, Was it already broken or are they going to take it?

I think this is all going to collapse uni, stay, no one

real

ly understands this disease, you can't understand it unless you live it, unless it's your

real

ity I can't understand it I still don't understand it but I accept it because I know that if my mom had option would not want to live like this vassula raised her five children in the house 13 years ago. Her oldest son, Cameron, still lives at home, but it hasn't always been that way. We had a situation where mom was told this environment was not safe for a child to live in and he went to live with my sister, it was quite a while.

It was a couple of years and then Cameron wanted to return home, not even Cameron's room is safe from the pursuers who monopolize his space. I have invaded more and more of his space and now he has reached the point where he is happy and needs space to always grow and prosper in the financial times of 2010, that is Cameron. I'll ask him what he wants from this now. Jasmine, at Cameron's house, has convinced Fasulo to clean the house for her sake. You're going to want a copy with the Financial Times, well, Mom. He asked me to ask you, so, mother, I don't want him to have to spend his teenage years experiencing the same kinds of things as me.

I think I only realized that my mom was a

hoarder

and it wasn't just about being messy just a couple of years ago, really recently considering I've lived in that kind of situation for most of my life. Jasmine has struggled to get effective treatment for her mother, but she is now hopeful that a team of psychologists who are studying hoarding may be able to help. able to help. I hope the doctor you meet today has a magic key or something. They can unhook the problem and that can free mom. That's all I really want. Hoarding is currently considered a form of

obsessive

-

compulsive

disorder. but dr.

Manoj Coles believes it is a condition in itself, the hope is that the research others are doing will see this recognized as an official disorder and this will lead to huge investment, research and development of better treatments for this condition. Dr. Manoj Cole and his colleague have come to evaluate vassula. Maybe you want to tell us what the story is behind any of those items, maybe one of these figures, the Eiffel Tower? Well, I was at the Eiffel Tower, but I didn't find this there. I bought these in a charity shop for next to nothing because you can't afford to buy them in France, in Paris, and I have several French friends who remind me of one of the rooms he passed away last year and it also reminds me of him.

My friends were cremated, so there's nowhere to find out the burial site where you can imagine being able to talk to them. It would be really hard to get rid of this, plus it came from my mom's kitchen and all. We made it into a necklace for a costume and if I were to get rid of it it would just be to remember my mother. I would also like to ask you if new things come into the house all the time. Yes, but me. I'm also resisting a lot, it's a very secretive problem, auntie, I really feel like I would like to deal with it, is there anything that family members can use, any tools that I can use, say something to help, like take advantage of what Is she thinking or breaking this? type of attachment or any other reason, a lot in terms of treatment options in this country or anywhere in the world, really, simply because there is something that does not officially exist, once this already exists, things should change a lot for better.

I really want it. take this into account and help me improve my life, help myself have a better home in a better life and also for my children, what was very difficult to hear is that there is very little help for people even though You know someone has this. problem I'm just looking for answers and there are no prospects, no one knows the answer with very little treatment available, it's up to Jasmine and her brothers to face their mother's problem head on in my room, the only room in my room that she was facing . We wanted to start the process a million times before, but this is the first time she seems ready, so I think you know better than to strike while the iron is hot.

You know we are all here and we will do everything we can to help you. I was thinking today wouldn't be so bad if the house caught fire and everything was gone then I'll start over but somehow you know it doesn't have to burn down for everything to be gone it can go away three options so your own choice I guess it would be better. I mean, I'm sure we've all thought about burning the house down if they want to make heaven for the next two months. Jasmine and Vassula hope to clean the entire room. kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms, it's very hard for me to get rid of anything I want, it's just hard to do it, so what are you sorting through?

I'm sorting resources by appearance. I have handled everything. These once and I have decided I don't know what, since there is practically no space in the house to organize things. Jasmine has rented storage space nearby. We've tried throwing everything away and I can't throw away the things that belong to mom. because she would just feel violated and want to replace him immediately, so it's totally counterproductive. The way we have to let go of possessions is that mom has to work on each item and she has to have control over it. You collect something like me. I hope I can keep everything I want to keep and still have a tidy and livable house, so don't think you have too much stuff, that's not what I said, you're trying to put it into words. my mouth I thought it sounds like you're almost backing out and now you change your mind you're not backing out I'm tired I want to keep everything I'm just saying I want to keep everything the problem is that the hallway is only part of the house, yeah, and maybe I want to keep two percent of what's in the hallway, but that doesn't mean I want to keep 90 percent of what's in the bedroom, the heaviest cell in the world, hey, I'd like to keep my recipe books all of them and this one maybe not just how many of you managed about five thousand right I think I would also like to keep the biology book because it's really cool, take a look at the ratio.

I, oh, I'm sorry, it's really depressing. Because you know, you just know that she wants to keep most of the things and we continue at this pace. I'll have a hundred and thirty-five by the time the house is clean, worth a pound each, because they're too pretty to sell. for 50p, after two weeks of sorting, Sula agreed to leave the trunk full of possessions and is ready to sell more Christmas cards. Christmas cards in April. I'm selecting some Christmas cards. I must say before they sell them all. Andy, Jasmine's brother. helping at vassula's stall, he is going through her own things that she brought here, it's not strange that she gives things away, she is giving things away to the Salvation Army and then it's like her own things that she brought there three days before.

Back to the Salvation Army, see well, I actually can't live without this and I pay to take it off again, so it's to be expected, you know, we knew she wouldn't give it all up right away, actually, yeah, I think. I'm going to stick with this because I really love it 6:50 is where we need we said seven you said six you should be happy buddy to sell this is the limit give me this look here I was going to say it's a totality and it's 650 no 6 now you get it for nothing Lo I'm sorry, my mom, I feel embarrassed, I feel embarrassed, by the way, it was ridiculous, at the end of the day, you might as well sell all the stuff without arguing for 50 P, that's how happy, you know it's another 50 P.

We're not here to make money. We're here to get rid of the mountain of stuff you have. We'll come away with less stuff than I thought, so. That surprises me and not the other way around. The sabotage surprises me. You know, now it was just a couple of people trying to take us for a ride. One just sucks. Now I'm exhausted and I'm probably down to 40 pounds. in my little bag to show all the hard work, so I'd rather give it £40. I prefer to give it frequency and buy all those things and do whatever I want with them, but that is not good, I have offered it to him. money for her things before I told her you know I will give you this amount of money and you give me everything in your house, but she would not agree to that because she knows that I could get rid of some of the things that she Does not love.

Just because she finds it difficult to get rid of things, she constantly acquires new belongings; At my worst, I would bring, say, four or five shopping bags of second-hand things or new things, it didn't matter, one day or a couple of times a day. At least a week is like placing a bet and winning. When you go out and find something that you know you've earned, you've found more treasure, so bringing it home at the end of the day is counterproductive because there are so many things you can't. use any of them is yesterday, so it's two key books, one self-help, one decorating, right?

Jasmine called me on the phone. I was still there and she said, we're you and I said books in I'm working really hard for help, you have to place us, yeah, that's why it's so hard, I'm sorry Catherine, see those sticks and that term in bags. I was thinking that maybe it would be helpful for the proper relationship between my pottery and my mother is completely taken over by hoarding, that's all we talk about and it's been that way for a while. No what are you doing? Look, this thing alone costs about a fiver to buy.

There was a time when we couldn't even broach the topic because it ended in tears every time and then we just didn't talk much or we just talked about the weather. I've felt like a homeless person for the past few years because my house has been occupied by Jasmine's possessions and her mom has been working cleaning the house for a month. that would have stopped if I had the bigger space and put everything instead of being like this, it was like this and I could see it or I could then decide oh, I don't actually want all that stuff and I just want this one or this one the size of a field ofGerman Jasmine because you have behaved in a certain way. that is not worthy that is not worthy I mean what I have saved mother is for you you are not doing this for ourselves we just have to let it go what is important in your life this your whole family think about it seriously it is plastic yes family I love you, it's not worth bothering someone in your family for any of these things.

I'd give everything you've saved to not bother Jasmine for even a minute. Okay, I'll take a moment. Few, alright, one in ten: Minton, you know me, how many do you really need to keep still? Yes, I haven't reviewed them. Sorry, quick, it's time to wear these boots. I feel it there. Don, one minute and we'll wait. Understand these little things please, I'm watching Houses and Gardens, this is no good, that was standing your ground, honey, we've done an amazing job, hey, you know, I'm really awake, I'm Robbie, they need the patience of an angel . To be able to deal with this, my son loves their patience with me, don't blame them, they've lived with them forever and I'm still the same person you see, and it's hard for me to be able to let him go as easily as I can.

I would like Vassula to have gotten rid of half the contents of his living room and dining room in two weeks. Have a good trip, in fact that was the best cleaning we have ever done. Those things disappeared. Relieved. Three weeks later, the momentum continues as they clean up the yard. hallway, a bathroom, a bedroom for Fasulo and a room for Cameron. I'm not going to go shopping, it seems to replace things that are gone unless I really need them, that's the idea, but if it works I hope it works. I really do, but after a lifetime of hoarding there are still two flights of stairs left, the landings, the bathroom, three bedrooms and the kitchens still to be sorted.

I feel tired of this. I told her last week we could stop and she just said she didn't want to. stop I even asked Cameron came to live with me so I could stop it and not have to worry about it anymore and he also said no how long do you think it's going to take us to do this kitchen quite a while because everything is dirty everything goes away. dishwasher out of place I'm going to be fighting with myself all the time you know I'm in the trash no, put it away the right way no put it away we put this away yes - and put it away for now I always wanted to fix the house and to fix my mom and no I think I can fix my mom but she is my mom and I love her and I will never give up on her to keep that where is the storage box?

Oh thanks.