Housing situations involving squatters take a toll on homeowners in more ways than anticipated.  Squatters should be prosecuted and charged.

     While property damage and legal fees can cost homeowners money, the mental health effects can be severe. Homeowners who have shared their stories of unwanted residents living in their homes have often brought to light the emotional stress that stems from sometimes unfathomable experiences. A  Chicago woman named Darthula Young previously spoke to Fox News Digital about a squatter who lived in a property she inherited from her mother. The individual took over the home from September 2022 until July 2023, according to Young.

     "It's emotionally draining. It's overwhelming," Young previously told Fox News Digital.   "The first time I got access to my mother's apartment and when the squatters moved in, we did get access and were able to go in, but to be there and see that somebody has totally taken over all of her personal properties and her things are there, I didn't think it would make me emotional, but it made me very emotional," Young said.  "As I went through this process, I was totally overwhelmed by it," Young said. "The people that I have talked to who are going through this situation are saying the same thing. They are so overwhelmed by the situation."

      A home is a place that represents safety and security, and when that is stripped away, the brain and body are affected.  "If we think about safety needs, our home is one of those things that represents safety in terms of security, stability and protection from harm," Alexis Abate, a licensed professional counselor and holistic mindset coach based in New Jersey, told Fox News Digital in a phone interview. 

     When someone arrives home to squatters, "they first feel an emotion of violation. And with that, we also have to understand that emotional stress can manifest into physical symptoms, and that chronic stress and anxiety can lead to health-related issues such as insomnia, hypertension, back pain. It puts us in that state of fight or flight."