No matter how strange it sounds, psychologists confirm one curious point: the habit of collecting old things, even outwardly resembling garbage, is not a strange tendency of an individual person, but a very serious psychological deviation, known as Messi's syndrome.
The causes of psychological pathology
Thus, the trauma of the human psyche manifests itself, which was earned under the influence of certain reasons:
- A head wound, or surgery in the same place. In some cases, they can disturb brain activity and lead to the development of psychological abnormalities.
- Side effect of a serious illness. Sometimes doctors are surprised to notice similar tendencies in patients with cancer, or those who recovered after it.
- The death or death of someone from the inner circle (son, daughter, spouse, father, mother).
- Lack of attention.
- Depressive state.
- Divorce with a partner, and the breakup of the family.
- Genetic predisposition. For example, we can recall the grandparents who survived the war, and therefore tried to prepare their children for a possible lack of resources.
- Separation of children from parents. Over time, each child grows up and leaves to build his life. Parents who do not know what to do with excess free time, begin to collect things "for the future."
- Old age. Elderly people who have experienced all possible hardships in their lifetime try to play it safe in case of a recurrence of the situation.
No less common are cases when people expected a lot from life, but did not get what they wanted:
- Young people whose psychology could not accept perestroika, and therefore mentally remained in the time that was before the events. As a rule, such people remain unclaimed, and in order to compensate for the lack of unfulfillment, they begin to collect the things they think they need.
- A person who has experienced a serious financial collapse (went broke, went bankrupt, cheated with money) is afraid to lose everything else, so he clogs up all the available space with those things that he could get.
- People of the old generation who have been collecting books, manuscripts, magazines and so on for years, which at the time of the development of digital technologies have sharply become ordinary waste paper
Who are skopidomas
In scientific circles, such people are called skopidomas. They are constantly influenced by inner emptiness, longing, despair, and so on. Many patients with the disease of hoarding do not know what they need from life, and, accordingly, what to achieve. Without treatment, some of them attempt suicide, while others enter a constant apathetic state, tormenting them with longing and bouts of depression. As a rule, patients understand that their tendency is not quite normal, and therefore they stay away from strangers, trying to leave home less.
Some channels are broadcast only in America. One of them regularly shows transmission of such patients. People affected by Messi syndrome talk about their lives. Their words are filled with hidden emotions, various kinds of problems, and shame in front of strangers who see what they turned their home into. But even embarrassment and shame do not help them stop littering their home.
Stages of pathological accumulation
- At the first stage of the development of pathology, the patient has many interests. If desired, he is able to carry out a general cleaning at home, but can no longer simply tidy up individual places. Therefore, often with general cleanliness, he observes small litters of utensils, papers, things and so on. Personal hygiene is still in the first place, and the arrival of guests is happy to be expected by the owner of the house. Work remains a rigorous necessity, which the patient constantly observes.
- The second stage is characterized by the fact that the patient can no longer thoroughly clean his own house. He still has many interests outside the walls of his own, but, finding himself in them, he is not capable of throwing anything away, or maintaining order brought in by the wrong hands. It becomes quite common for him to mix paper with dirty dishes, or sleep on a bed littered with everyday clothes. The patient begins to shun the guests, rejecting their visit under various pretexts. But he still monitors personal hygiene, though already after the sleeves. Work gradually loses its necessity, and hidden neuroses and fears come to the fore.
- The third stage is a turning point. Without treatment for Messi syndrome, the patient's condition worsens. All interests outside the home disappear. Starting a business, he is not able to bring it to the end. Therefore, in his house everywhere there is half-eaten food, unfinished dishes, and so on. The patient in every possible way prevents the visit of strangers. He had already forgotten about personal hygiene. Bathing, washing or changing clothes is an impossible task for him. He is no longer able to work, and social interaction is gradually disappearing.
Ways to help the patient
Almost all skopidomas do not recognize that they are sick. When trying to hint to them about a possible psychological deviation, their anger and indignation can be caused. They dismiss all hints and assumptions, proving that they are fond of ordinary collecting. It is rare when one of them seeks help. Most patients are found barely alive in four walls.
But even if a person realized that there was a problem, he would not be able to handle it himself without outside interference. Moreover, this effect should be extremely careful and qualified. The interlocutor is forbidden to raise his voice at the patient, show his nerves or openly condemn his behavior.
It is advisable to find out the reason for this pathological collection. In the case when the patient himself does not understand the reasons for his actions, it is necessary to restore the latest events that could push him to the appearance of Plyushkina syndrome. Mental illness prevents a person from deciding what he needs and what he can do without. If his interlocutor could not understand what could provoke such a pathology, then you should seek the help of a specialist. He will return the patient the right to choose, teach him to handle, professionally circumventing all corners in psychological therapy.
Why is it necessary to regularly clean your home from old things?
Such actions help to clear the mental space. In the process of cleaning a person is distracted from existing problems, charged with positive and new forces for future achievements.
Feng Shui experts advise applying a few mental tricks in real life. For example, throwing away an old thing, it is necessary to imagine that with it leave part of something bad that overshadowed a past life. If a thing has a lot of bad memories, then the best option would be to burn it. In order not to repeat the same thing many times, they recommend going around the whole house, collecting everything that is at least fleetingly sad or annoying, taking it away from apartment buildings, and setting it on fire.
After all the actions have been completed, one must imagine how easy it will be to return to that house, which is cleansed of all the bad. For this, it is called a house so that a person has a desire to constantly come there. The environment should bear the imprint of the character of the owner, his interests and desires. When inviting strangers, a person must understand that they are introducing part of their energy into its space. Therefore, he should be attentive to him, love him, and the house will answer with warm gratitude, becoming for a person a real place of rest, which charges with additional energy and positive.
How to start cleaning the house?
All tips contain the same information: cleaning starts exactly from the place where the landlord spends most of his time. And then from it you can go to any room in the house until the end of the whole process.
Any home reflects the external and internal state of its owner. A clean and tidy home symbolizes order in the head of a person. Regularly cleaning his house, he imperceptibly for himself will change his life. The environment will gradually change, warm relations with the closest people will return to reality, new acquaintances will occur. Meet a new love.
Why it happens? It all depends on the lifestyle that a person leads. If he changes even his surroundings, then he will begin to change externally. A beautiful gait will appear, a confident presentation of oneself, "little devils" will play in the eyes. The changes that have occurred will not go unnoticed by the people around him.
Gotta forget about the past
The past must remain behind man. If he doubts, then any psychologist will advise him to introduce himself as 50 years old. Will he regret at this moment the time spent on meaningless moral torment? If so, then it's never too late to change your life:
- There is no constant fashion. Therefore, grown children will not wear their mother’s graduation gown, which is several decades old at best. If a woman does not want a thing to be wasted, she can post ads on the Internet, and her beloved clothing will benefit another person.
- There is an unwritten rule: if a thing is not useful for one year, then it's time to throw it away.
- Today is the peak of the development of digital technology, so there is no particular need to keep old records that can easily be found on the Internet. Moreover, scientific progress does not stand still and new studies are constantly being conducted that change the relevance of current information.
- Carriers of the Messi syndrome like to amuse themselves that they store unnecessary devices for spare parts in order to spend less in the future. But to be honest with ourselves, how often do people repair things using old things?
Rules of the East
Any broken things, damaged dishes or clothing full of holes will harm your master, making a gap in his aura, and thereby skipping poor health, troubles, depressing thoughts, and so on. And it’s hard to disagree. It is unpleasant to eat from poor dishes, or wear well-worn clothing with visible signs of repair. Today is the 21st century. It is not necessary to have a fabulous state in order to provide yourself with a new wardrobe or even inexpensive, but new dishes. Moreover, deposits of old rags collect dust, bacteria, cockroaches and so on. Therefore, inappropriate collecting can be harmful.
German doctors are looking for neglected, not lazy people in neglected apartments
Any person at the sight of such a neighbor will involuntarily remember Plyushkina from Dead Souls. And he will be close to the truth. Psychologists attribute such people to carriers of Messi syndrome (painful accumulation), which requires specialized intervention.
In Germany, officially registered 2 million of these patients. Experts believe that the real numbers are much larger, and therefore society does not pay attention to such phenomena in vain. A sick person lives for years in a cluttered dwelling, and does nothing to change the situation. Excess garbage can harm health, interfere with the daily life of those around him, but patients will believe that it has nothing to do with it.
Dr. med. Vedigo von Wedel runs the H-TEAM organization, which provides support to people in difficult situations. For the past 10 years, she has been studying painful hoarding. According to the observations of researchers, everyone can become a victim of this phenomenon. This case refers to those isolated moments when age, financial status, social status and the personality of the patient himself play absolutely no role.