Sandy Springs Case Raises Question: Why Do People Hoard?

By Danielle Knox

A 38-year-old Sandy Springs woman had to be rescued from her home after being trapped by years worth of trash.

She is what experts call a hoarder -- someone who accumulates years worth of shoes, clothing and newspapers or other useless material and refuses to throw anything away.

CBS Atlanta spoke with a psychiatrist who said hoarding is not that uncommon.

"I've seen hundreds of cases in my career," said Atlanta-based Dr. Dave Davis.

Davis said hoarding is a disease that can start as early as childhood.

"It can be a combination of factors from genetic to environmental," said Davis. "My worst case was a patient who had waste piled to the ceiling of her home. To get from the kitchen to the bathroom, she had to walk around the outside of her house because all the halls were packed floor to ceiling with waste..." More & video