What is to be done? Part 2

[Eireann]

Those of you who read my previous post on this subject are aware that one of my housemates has caused all kinds of problems since moving in. He used to spend hours every day in the bathroom. He has clogged the toilet with paper more than once, so that it had to be plunged out. He has used all the hot water on several occasions, so the next person to use the bathroom had to take a cold shower.

Last night was a new low. He came in around 11 or so; I know because I heard the noises. I heard him going into the bathroom (big surprise).

A little while later, I went downstairs. Well, I started to go downstairs. I came out of my room and stopped in my tracks, overwhelmed by the smell of sewage. Investigation revealed that the toilet was clean, and it flushed. But the smell was overwhelming. I could even smell it downstairs.

I sent a text message to my landlady (the owners were gone for the weekend), telling her that this guy had done something that caused a disgusting sewage stench. She told me her husband would investigate.

I talked to the guy upstairs this afternoon, and he told me that his place also smelled horrible. He thought it was a problem with the plumbing. They, bless them, burned incense to combat the odor.

The owners came back later. I heard voices in the hall, and came out to find my landlord talking to the couple upstairs. He investigated the toilet area (which is separate from the rest of the bathroom), saw no problems, and knocked on my housemate's door. The conversation was carried on through the door, since said housemate didn't open it. My landlord asked what was causing the smell.

Housemate explained that he had "had a problem", and would get some cleaning supplies tomorrow.

Am I the only one who believes this guy is incapable of taking care of himself, and should live in a group home? God only knows how gross his room must be right now.

[NecessaryCatharsis]

Is there a community service for adults who are not capable of self care in your area? I would call them and ask them if there is a set of criteria for people to access their service, and how a concerned third party could start that process. If they can tell you the criteria, it might give you an idea if the housemate would need services or not. Around here I would call Community Living, but there's probably something where you live.

[Eireann]

I don't know what services are available, to be honest. I thought he was autistic in addition to being OCD, and that may be the case; I don't know. There are associations to help autistic people, but I know so little about him that I have no idea if he's getting any help at all, for anything. The events of this weekend made it even clearer that, even if he is receiving help, he definitely needs more than he's getting. I wonder if his parents even give a shit, honestly. I'd hate to be him, and there have been times when I was sympathetic, since this is no way to live, but there's a limit to my sympathy and patience, particularly when biohazards are involved.

Oh, the toilet and bathroom (which are separate rooms) were both cleaned with bleach last night. Today, there's a strong smell of pee around the toilet.

[KuariKaydrith]

I wonder if, as a result of being spoken to previously about his bathroom usage, that he has resorted to...um...storing his waste in his room in some manner or another. It would explain the smell and why he would not open his door to the landlord. If that is indeed the case, well, your housemate needs more help than what is available to him living there, and I pity the person who needs to gut that room to make it habitable again even now when he has not been there long enough for extensive structural damage to the place.

Your landlord needs to get into that room to assess the amount of damage and possibly use that to evict the housemate before things get any worse. I would recommend that the landlord take pictures of the damage to show your housemate's parents along with the strong recommendation that he be put into the proper care situation for his needs.

[Eireann]

KuariKaydrith, I have wondered exactly the same thing. Once, when waiting for him to end one of his marathon bathroom sessions, I took a peek into his room to see how he lives. Most of his things are in plastic bags scattered throughout the room. It looks as if moving out would take him all of ten minutes. I also saw some plastic cups containing an amber fluid. Now, this being the world's top beer-drinking country in terms of per capita consumption, most people would just take it to be beer. I, on the other hand, having smelled urine far too often in the toilet area, wondered if it was collected pee. (That would explain the spills I've found on the seat, though of course, poor aim could also be the reason.)

It wouldn't be due to him being spoken to about his bathroom usage, though, since the toilet is in its own little room, separate from the bathroom. As far as I can tell, his bathroom odysseys involve washing his hands incessantly and spilling water all over the floor. I've found more than one small lake in there.

My guess is that, having been the source of that obnoxious stench, he was embarrassed to open the door. The outside trash has a huge bag sitting on top, preventing the lid from closing all the way, and I wouldn't be surprised if said bag contains the clothes he was wearing the other night. What does surprise me (and gross me out) is that he had those clothes in the bedroom with him overnight before finally bagging and throwing them away.

I hope he gets the help he needs, but right now, I just want him gone from here.

[Eireann]

I did a little research today - it seems that people who suffer from OCD sometimes "hoard" bodily excretions. Which isn't something I wanted to know, but since I'm living around it, it's useful information. What a mess!

[Tama]

That must be a very severe case if they're hoarding those things. Urgh.

[Sapphire Silk]

Storing human waste and poor hygiene are not autism issues. They are mental health issues. He needs to see a mental health advocate.

He still needs to leave. You don't have to put up with that.

[Eireann]

Exactly. I emailed my landlady from work with the information I found online. When I came home, the house actually smelled okay, but he's clearly still here. I doubt that the cleaning service has cleaned his room yet; there hasn't been enough time. I did ask her, in the email, if he was going to continue living here. I doubt it very much, given the fact that my landlord, for one, was well and thoroughly pissed off at him even before this. I hope that recent events provide the necessary legal grounds for evicting him.

[Eireann]

I talked to the landlord earlier.

The guy will be out at the end of the year. His room will be cleaned professionally on Thursday (and I wouldn't be at all surprised if it has to be cleaned again after he leaves). I know my landlord has been very angry at this guy, going back months, before this latest development. I hope whoever moves in is a much better housemate.

I know he needs help, but all I can think of is how many more days until he's gone.