ipl-logo

Compulsive Hoarding

1654 Words7 Pages

Even though, the exact cause of compulsive hoarding is not known, hoarding is more prevalent among individual who exhibit certain disorders already. Hoarding is commonly regarded as a subtype of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), occurring among about one-third of the individuals diagnosed with the disorder (Frost12). However, only about one- fourth of those complaining or hoarding are reported as having OCD symptoms. According to author Randy Frost and Gail Steketee in the book Stuff, recent reports argue whether hoarding is part of OCD and suggests that hoarding may in fact be a disorder all its own separate from OCD but do however share some of the same characteristics (Frost12). Other preexisting disorders that can tend to lead to someone …show more content…

Cases of compulsive hoarding happen more often and to a greater extent in older adults than in any other age group in the general population. Just like that with children some cases of hoarding may not be obvious in older family members right away but can quickly grow out of control. While helping a family member or a neighbor clean someone may pick up an item that may look worthless to them. However, once the hoarder sees the item they may tell a whole story about their life that is unknown to anyone until then. The item may have no inherent value, and yet the individual may become visibly upset at even the thought of throwing it out. This type of behavior is not normal and can be an indication that the individual has or is developing hoarding tendencies. Since adults with a hoarding disorder usually have previous mental disorder this emotional reaction to discarding collected items are more reminiscent of anxiety disorders and depression (Frost14). Also, many adults with a hoarding disorder also have a personality that involves indecisiveness. Some hoarders may even have another family member who are also hoarder roughly eighty four percent of all hoarders’ state a close relatives are also hoarders. Resulting in studies that suggest that hoarding may be inherited. Although, in many cases of hoarding the individual affected had developed the …show more content…

Treating hoarding requires more than a big dumpster and a box of trash bags. Even though, hoarding has been associated to OCD hoarders do not appear to respond to the same treatment as people who have classic OCD symptoms (Frost13). According to the article Compulsive Hoarding in the Journal of Community Health Nursing (Fleury, Gaudette, &Moran 2012) “Frost and Hartl (1996) developed a cognitive-behavioral model for the treatment of compulsive hoarding that has provided a framework for further understanding and treatment of compulsive hoarding. Their model recognizes that hoarding is a multifaceted problem that stems from information-processing deficits, problems with emotional attachment to possessions, behavioral avoidance, and inaccurate beliefs about the importance or nature of possessions” (Fleury).
Some studies and treatment have been implemented based on this model and some progress or success has been seen, but, the lack of understanding of the hoarding disorder still make the treatment ineffective for many. Lilit Pogosian describes these conditions in her article “Treatment of Compulsive Hoarding: A Case Study

Show More
Related
1123 Words | 5 Pages

In the text, “Penny Wise or 2.4 Cents Foolish?” “ But we are paying a cost for the privilege of squirreling them away in drawers and on dressers.” This quote tells us that many people just toss their pennies to the side and do not use them. It is true because the reader of the passage has, more than likely, toss away their pennies and forget about them. Of course not everyone has done this, but from experience, I know my friends, family, and I have all done this at some point in our lives.

Read More
256 Words | 2 Pages

According to the author, Suzanne Britt, I am considered both a sloppy and neat person. Sloppy people seem to be very sentimental. They would be known, “making family scrapbooks into which they will put newspaper clippings, postcards, locks of hair, and dried corsage from their senior prom”. This quote connects to one part of me because I am very sentimental with pictures, and old objects indicating accomplishment within schools and sports. Another example, of me being sloppy is especially in school.

Read More
650 Words | 3 Pages

Everyone has their own opinion on “clutter.” Some may consider it to be a waste of space and others may think that it has value. Author Steve Almond, believes that clutter is something that needs to be treasured; he explains this in his article “In Defense of Male Clutter” published in 2014 in Real Simple Magazine. Throughout the article he argues the importance of (AMJ) accumulated male junk. Almond begins connecting with the audience by using a variety of emotional appeals, logical reasoning, and establishing credibility, thus his argument is strong.

Read More
689 Words | 3 Pages

The article "On Dumpster Diving", by Lars Eighner relies upon a man who discusses his survival as a vagrant joined by his canine Lizbeth. Not only does he tell us his techniques living out of dumpsters, yet furthermore the lessons he has learned as a scrounger. Specifically I think the message he was endeavoring to get transversely finished is that we misuse considerably more than we figure. The paper contains narrative proof that is drawing into the peruser due to how Eighner standardizes a somewhat irregular subject by displaying the data as though it were found in a guideline manual.

Read More
312 Words | 2 Pages

My mom tells me I have a problem collecting all sorts of cards. All cars like baseball, basketball, hockey, football, and even wrestling cards. I must have at least five thousand cards at home just sitting in boxes and binders. According to my friends, I could make a bunch of money off my collection. I have cards that my friends said they’d pay good money for.

Read More
776 Words | 4 Pages

Nevertheless, the interviewees frown upon being labelled as someone that values luxury over reasonable spending. Hence, they expressed their emphasis on the importance of needs over wants, and that practicality should triumph over extravagance. They see “limited” consumption as a form of self discipline, where excessive spending was only justifiable when it is spent on the family and invested in the children. If

Read More
1181 Words | 5 Pages

In today's society a lot of people invest so much on materials that they want, but aren't necessary. Once their belongings aren't deemed useful anymore they just throw it out. I found it

Read More
849 Words | 4 Pages

The saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” is quite known to everyone. Many people know and are aware of this saying, but may interpret it very differently. In the essays, “The Town Dump” and “On Dumpster Diving”, the authors, Wallace Stegner and Lars Eigner agree that some things people throw away do actually have value. Though the authors agree on the sense that “trash” may be valuable, and things should be appreciated, they agree for entirely different reasons. Wallace Stegner grew up in a young town named Whitemud, in which he described as exciting and full of wonder.

Read More
369 Words | 2 Pages

With his past full of loss and death, these situations led to the onset of his hoarding. The first loss was when he was sick as a child and was not allowed to go to school. He missed out on a normal childhood and was not able to create connections with others. The death of his father was a significant loss to him that shaped him for the rest of his life. Lastly, when he was shot, he lost a sense of comfort and never felt secure.

Read More
1305 Words | 6 Pages

In order to live a normal life, these people do have their rituals it is not always a bad thing, in reality it could actually help with safety issues. If there is someone who washes their hands continuously at least you know they are clean and less likely to get sick. OCD does also includes obsessions over sexual or violent thoughts, even if that person does not mean to have those thoughts. “But people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) feel the need to check things repeatedly, or have certain thoughts or perform routines and rituals over and over.” (National Institute of Mental Health)

Read More
1730 Words | 7 Pages

Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts performed in an effort to diminish the anxiety and distress brought on by the obsessive thoughts. For instance, the mental acts could be praying, counting, repeating words silently, or going over events in one’s mind. The repetitive behaviors could be ordering, repeating actions, checking, cleaning and hand washing. Sometimes, compulsions are connected to a dreaded event but sometimes are totally unrelated (15).

Read More
1374 Words | 6 Pages

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most effective type of psychotherapy for this disorder,where the patient is exposed many times to a situation that triggers the obsessive thoughts, and learns gradually to tolerate the anxiety and resist the urge to perform the compulsion. Medication and CBT together are considered to be better than either treatment alone at reducing symptoms. The patient is strongly encouraged to refrain from his or her habits, with support provided by the therapist, and possibly by others whom the patient calls for assistance. For example, a compulsive hand washer may be encouraged to touch an object believed to be contaminated, and then urged to avoid washing for several hours until the anxiety provoked has greatly decreased. This process leads to the start of another process,which is the process of “Habituation”.

Read More
1725 Words | 7 Pages

As I walk into my local grocery store I stumble upon some freshly picked apples that would work great for the pie I’m making later in the afternoon. I arrive at the crate full of red fruit and examine each to find the biggest, juiciest one. Some have bruises, others wormholes, so inevitably I put these back. As I continue to look for the ultimate apples, I begin to ponder about what happens to the products that are continuously returned to their display. Just like I reject these apples, obviously so do other customers who walk into the store.

Read More
843 Words | 4 Pages

The film that this student chose to watch is Matchstick Men. Roy Waller, a middle aged Caucasian male, is the main character of the movie. Roy displays symptoms consistent with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, which is defined in the DSM-5 as the “presence of obsessions, compulsions, or both” (Desk Reference, 2013). This paper will discuss treatment options for Roy and how his strengths and resources can be utilized to help him manage this disorder. The paper will further discuss possible barriers for treatment, such as personal bias, agency policies, and government legislation.

Read More
1467 Words | 6 Pages

Freud, Kant and Nostalgia Sigmund Freud never directly tackled the concept of collecting in his psychology but just before he was forced to leave Vienna for London, the photographer ‘Edmund Engelmann’ photographed his 2,000 objects that Freud had kept over the previous 40 years after his father had passed away. These photographs provided a record that served as a replicate to the desk full of specimens that had always dominated Freud’s room in England. He proposed a more pragmatic account for his notion towards collecting while he did reveal occasional hints for his passion towards objects. “The psychoanalyst, like the archeologist, must uncover layer after layer of the patient's psyche, before coming to the deepest most valuable treasures.”

Read More

More about Compulsive Hoarding

Related Topics

Open Document