Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Hoarding: It's more common than you might think

Barb Berggoetz

As a youth, he collected rocks, insects, shells, toy race cars, even stickers given away at gas stations.

"It was difficult for me to get rid of things," the now 50-year-old Fishers, Ind., man says.

The harmless collections, though, were an omen of a hoarding problem that has plagued him most of his adult life, along with serious bouts of depression during the past 16 years.

Formerly in sales, banking and finance, the married father of a 7-year-old is unemployed now. He doesn't want his name used because of negative reaction from potential employers.

At its worst, his hoarding nearly filled the house he bought as a fixer-upper and packed five garage-sized storage units to the brim..." More

No comments: