The Psychology of Hoarders

Up to STATS ON HOARDERS The 5% rate is 2X the 5% rate of OCD and 4X the rate of bipolar and schizophrenia disorders. of the world pop. displays clinical hoarding. 75% of hoarders engage in excessive buying. excessively acquire 50% free items. CHARACTERISTICS OF A HOARDER | 15% acknowledge that their behavior is irrational. 1 Acquiring large numbers of useless items and neglecting or refusing to get rid of them. Hoarders are 3X as likely to be overweight or obese. - Cluttering living spaces to the point that they can't be used for their intended purpose. CAUSES - Being unable to return borrowed items, sometimes leading to theft. Family 50% of hoarders Some speculate that Evolution Genetics Genetic factors grow up with a hoarding family member. hoarding was once advantageous, and of hoarding variance. has been preserved in certain family lines. account for 50% FROM COLLECTING TO HOARDING ANATOMY OF A HOARDING HOUSE Children begin collecting objects at 25 months of age. By age 6, nearly 70% of children collect or store things. of hoarding cases in Massachusetts J070 were deemed filthy environments'. Blocked Access To Fridge 45% Sink 42% ANIMAL HOARDING Bathtub Toilet 42% Keeping huge amounts of pets without ability to care for them. Subjects are often unaware they're harming the animals. 10% 100/ of these homes are heavily 18% littered with garbage. 45% have 'profuse urine or 170 feces in the living spaces'. COMMON PERSONALITY TRAITS - Neuroticism 1 Depression 1 Anxiety 1 Self-Consciousness 1 Indecisiveness 1 Perfectionism TREATMENT 1 Vulnerability Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Positive results. 70% of patients respond to talk therapy based skills training and motivational interviewing. 1 Impulsiveness Dowgard Antidepressants Mixed results. Scientists don't fully understand neurological sources of hoarding, so it is difficult to target with medication. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) Poor results. Subjects forced to throw away large quantities of objects responded poorly and refused further treatment. HOARDING AND OCD HELP AND RESOURCES of OCD 18-40% sufferers Delphi Center for Organization www.DelphiCenterForOrganization.com display hoarding as a symptom, though only 5% display it as a primary symptom. Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation www.OCDFoundation.org Many <20% researchers The Humane Society www.HumaneSociety.org now think hoard- ing and OCD are separate disorders. Children of Hoarders www.ChildrenofHoarders.com North Star Rescue www.NorthStarRescue.org Created By WWW.PSYCHOLOGYDEGREE.NET Resources http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6TBV-4SWGOBX-1/2/45d25821215ac0c2afccOd33b3e81638 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VB8-4Y9SVYD-1/2/83900d60311612b711 bd28a4e04882cb http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/garden/children-of-hoarders-on-leaving-the-cluttered-nest.html?scp=3&sq=hoarding&st=cse http://www.aetv.com/hoarders/