Saturday, November 27, 2010

Messy or a neatnik or somewhere in between

Recent studies show that between two and five per cent of our population hoards. Take, for instance, the friend who never throws away paper, ever. The relative who can’t pass up a dumpster. The local, so-called cat lady.

Maybe the packrat is you.

No matter where the mess is or how it got there, Frost and Steketee indicate most hoarders are embarrassed and ashamed about their messes. Many decide to seek help from psychiatrists and professional organizers because their families are suffering or frustrated (or both).

Frost and Steketee say that hoarding is a facet of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD. Generally speaking, people who have hoarding problems hate to think of anything being wasted. They sometimes keep objects because of memories attached to them, and though elaborate stories are often linked to the objects, hoarders are often afraid of losing those memories if they lose the objects. Hoarders are often perfectionists, they never pass up a chance to add to their collection, many are seriously in debt because of their inability to stop shopping, and some can’t stop “shopping” in a dumpster..." More

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