By Suzanne A. Chabaud, PhD 

Dr Chabaud merged her dual doctorate in developmental and clinical psychology from Vanderbilt University to treat hundreds of clients of all ages. She founded the OCD Institute of Greater New Orleans, where she and her staff are committed to educating the public and professionals about OCD and hoarding disorder. She is best known for her role as a psychologist in the hit reality show Hoarders, on the A&E Television Network. Dr Chabaud presented at PsychCongress in 2010. The author has no conflicts of interest concerning the subject matter of this article.

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Until recently, most people believed that hoarders were eccentric people who died surrounded by a lifetime collection of stuff. Hoarding in families was cloistered in a vault of family secrets or passed off as an individual peculiarity. The effects of hoarding on other family members was rarely examined or understood. Only recently have we confirmed that hoarding is more common than we once thought. Hoarding disorder (HD), a diagnosis proposed for the DSM-5, affects an estimated 2% to 5% of the general population.^1-5

Partly because of attention given through reality television, the general public knows much more about hoarding and its ramifications. The greater awareness about hoarding is sparking an outpouring of concern for its effect on families—especially children. Mental health professionals are starting to address this growing concern with research, education, outreach, and intervention for the benefit of children who grow up in hoarding households.

HD is unique from other disorders because its symptoms are tangible and entail a large accumulation of objects that prevent the use of space for necessary or usual human functions. This abundance of objects results from a pathological failure to discard objects and not accumulate more; that is, more objects come into than leave a home. This imbalance causes undesirable conditions that impede human functioning and cause distress. When hoarding is severe, it presents risk of physical and psychological harm to hoarders and their families. Risk of harm extends to neighbors and their properties..." More