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Hoarding: Treatment, symptoms, and personal impact/costs

Hoarding: Treatment, symptoms, and personal impact/costs

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The topic of hoarding is rarely met with disinterest.  Maybe that’s because nearly all of us can relate to hoarding on one level or another. Perhaps you yourself have been touched personally by hoarding.  You may have a strong emotional attachment to objects, or you may have a loved one who inexplicably continues to add to an already existing surplus of items.  This surplus may be small, or it  may be quickly exhausting all remaining living space. Perhaps you don’t have issues with surplus, but you consider yourself a “pack rat” or a “collector”.  Maybe you have a nice collection of art or knickknacks, and you can relate to the urge to over-acquire. Perhaps you are “organizationally challenged” and have struggled with how to best categorize and store your possessions.  Maybe you have difficulties with throwing out your newspapers before...

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Hoarding treatment: Choosing the right therapist

Hoarding treatment: Choosing the right therapist

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If you are an individual who struggles with hoarding, you might have been frustrated by negative treatment experiences in the past.  For most individuals who hoard, treatment can be challenging.  However, it is an essential ingredient for regaining control and reclaiming your life. When selecting a therapist to help you address your hoarding, make sure that your potential therapist practices cognitive behavioral therapy for hoarding (or CBT for hoarding).  Based on research studies, this type of treatment is most likely to be effective in supporting long-term positive changes and leaving you less vulnerable to relapse.  Unfortunately, there are very few South Florida psychologists who have formal experience with hoarding treatment.  Make sure that when you interview your potential psychologist, you ask them about their experience in treating hoarding.  A CBT orientation alone is not sufficient; make sure that they’ve treated other...

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