▲ The house of a woman in her 30s who asked for help because her house was full of trash.


“Please help my house…”



Last September, a woman called the Dong Administrative Welfare Center in Namdong-gu, Incheon.



She said that she wanted help because her house was full of trash because she stayed at home due to depression and avoidance of people.



When a social welfare officer from the Administrative Welfare Center visited her home, she found that her house was full of trash and bugs.



She was in a situation where she needed to improve her living environment as well as solve mental illnesses such as 'save obsession' and depression.



Namdong-gu selected Mr. A as a case management subject, treated about 2.5 tons of garbage in connection with the Incheon Probation Office, and conducted general cleaning with support from private organizations, while replacing wallpaper and flooring, and replacing household appliances and furniture. We have created a stable living environment.



She also encourages regular hospital visits and medications for mental health recovery, and plans to link them to counseling and treatment through the 'Youth Mental Health Voucher'.



According to Namdong-gu on the 20th, with the recent increase in single-person households, lonely death and storage obsession are emerging as social problems, and Namdong-gu is providing customized support for households in crisis.



Park Jong-hyo, head of Namdong-gu Office, said, “We will further strengthen the integrated case management promotion system with the goal of discovering welfare blind spots and improving welfare experience.” revealed.



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On the other hand, storage obsessive compulsive disorder is a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder, and refers to a disease in which you compulsively store things because of anxiety and guilt when throwing them away.



If the obsession with storage is serious, the unsanitary living environment and the stench will cause great suffering to you and your neighbors.

In addition, stacked objects may fall and block the evacuation route, resulting in various accidents such as injury or fire.



The biggest problem is that it is difficult for the person suffering from OCD to recognize that they are sick, and there are many cases in which they do not have the will to actually solve the problem or refuse treatment.



Even if the garbage is removed with the support of the local government, it is only a matter of time before it goes back to normal unless there is a fundamental treatment for people suffering from storage obsession.



Above all, since the efforts of local governments and welfare institutions are not enough, voices continue to call for a more compact and systematic approach.



(Photo = Provided by Namdong-gu, Incheon)