RSS
Home
2008 in review, part 3, hoarding
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Art? Or a horrible mess? You decide. Dreamstime.com
A phenomenon that seems to be more evident recently is hoarding.
It’s not currently in the DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV, Revised), but people who hoard to extremes seem to exhibit many symptoms of diagnosable mental illnesses, including OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder).
We all know people who are collectors and have a house full of “stuff.” Some of us can’t understand how they can live in such clutter. But to be true hoarders, individuals have to go much further. Some hoarders have items piled so high in their homes that there are trails to walk through the house. I’ve known of someone who was literally “boxed in” his own home—the doors were blocked with things thought to be important.
While doing disaster work on the Gulf Coast, I met someone who kept a lot of her crushed house and couldn’t throw it away. This was most likely because of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and not classic hoarding, but the results were similar.
People with this illness may not even realize they have a problem, but they can be helped. It starts with therapy. But some experts on MSNBC.com have a twofold approach that seems to work very well.
They combine enforcement (law enforcement, child protection, public health, etc.) with therapy and have gotten good results.
What about you? Do you know people who hoard things or pets? (Yes, pet hoarding is a recognized hazard.) Have they gotten help? The conversation continues with you.
Note: Click on the Subscribe button below and you'll receive an email each time the Chicago Mental Health Examiner publishes a new article.
Related Articles:
Comments
