Hoarding - "Buried Alive in Junk"

By Karon Brandt

The Packrat Mentality

"Pack rats" who become "buried alive" in a mountain of stuff - to the point where their homes become unsafe or uninhabitable - are called "hoarders." Once the problem reaches the point of compulsive collecting, it becomes a serious problem, an unofficial subset of a mental illness called obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

The classification is still being argued, as some hoarders do not have other OCD symptoms, and different portions of the brain seem to be involved with hoarders.

If you cannot comprehend the seriousness of the problem, view some videos from the A&E TV show titled "Hoarders" at http://www.aetv.com/hoarders/video. The show begins with the statement that three million people suffer from hoarding; these are two of their stories. The scenes are appalling.

Some people collect stuff as memories of the past; some collect as a kind of "insurance" against the future - just in case they "might need it"; some compulsively save things beyond the usefulness of the objects, such as food which becomes spoiled.

Hoarders might save books (bibliomania) to the point where their health or personal relationships are affected. "Digital hoarders" collect files on computers beyond the point of usefulness: it becomes a financial burden to buy new hard drives to store items they will never use or need. (Wikipedia)

"Animal hoarders" collect animals like dogs or cats. They believe they are being kind and helpful - perhaps saving the animals' lives, like adopting pets that face euthanasia - but the animals begin to suffer health problems from overcrowding and lack of vet care to the point that animal rescue agencies must get involved.

If you suspect someone you live with or care about has a hoarding problem, you can intervene. If a "collector" begins collecting until they cannot live in their homes safely or maneuver around normally, you can suspect a problem..." More

Understanding Hoarding - the Pack Rat Syndrome

By Lisa Grundhofer Mayer

We all know someone who may have a propensity to be a pack rat, someone who will never throw anything away. The term hoarding is more commonly used these days to identify a person who lives in the midst of clutter of varying extremes where the clutter has become uncontrollable.

Unfortunately for some extreme hoarders, the situation has become so completely overwhelming, that it has not only affected their relationships, health, and social connections, but has also placed some in legal jeopardy.

Hoarding has been identified as a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), although not all people considered to be hoarders have been diagnosed with OCD-related symptoms. Research continues to better understand the psychological background and provide a more distinct mental health problem. Further study of hoarding shows that there are specific types of hoarding as well as specific types of hoarders.

What is a Hoarder? It is not someone who just is too lazy to throw things out, to organize, or is ignorant to acceptable living conditions. It is a disease that has a number of complex areas including depression, OCD, PTSD, and other varying conditions that would identify one as a "hoarder". Those who become hoarders may have an emotional attachment to an item that hold memories for them; hold onto items thinking it would be wasteful to throw out. As the fear of losing a memory or wasting money by throwing an item out increases, the mass of collectibles becomes so overwhelming that the task to clean up the clutter is unbearable. Some extreme cases may also involve rotting food products, animal feces and carcasses, and loss of any usable living space in their home. This presents an enormous issue to both the person's health as well as their family. In many instances, hoarders have faced having county social services remove the children from the premises..." More

Hoarding and being a packrat have differences

The distinction between truly pathological hoarding, which can reach psychotic levels, and the type we call the packrat (or "the disposophobe") is more a matter of degree than intrinsic difference.

If you live with one of those, you often despair of ever putting your own living space in order, while the companion who "saves" useless objects shows no inclination to reform. He may tolerate your cleaning out the mess from time to time, but the accumulation will return.

I regret to have to tell you that the science for this kind of disorder is as yet inconclusive.

There seems to be two different avenues of research; one looks at the biology of this family of disorders, the other at its emotional aspects.

From the standpoint of brain biology, faulty thought processes are involved. The packrat fails to recognize his behavior's negative impact on his and others' quality of life. His ability to organize, classify and realistically appraise his possessions is impaired.

Some studies connect hoarding with the cerebral differences of ADD and the under-functioning of the executive parts of the brain. The hoarder has trouble making decisions and choices. Certain psychotropic medications have been used with a modicum of success.

They are the SSRI family of antidepressants such as Paxil. Results are unpredictable and limited.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy, which targets faulty thought and behavior changes, has proved the most helpful approach. CBT is practiced by specialized therapists. It consists of very structured techniques focusing on change rather than on history...." More

Animal control officer fired for inaction

Timothy Erin Olofson

GREELEY - Greeley police have fired an animal control officer who failed to respond to a complaint regarding an animal hoarding house in the city.

On July 31, police seized 102 animals - including dogs and cats - from a Greeley home.

They were acting on a tip. But a similar tip had come in on July 7 and police say the animal control officer who handled that call basically ignored the complaint.

Greeley police started an internal investigation following the seizure.

This week, Sgt. Joe Tymkowych, spokesperson for Greeley police, said the animal control officer was terminated.

Saying it's a personnel matter, Tymkowych did not release the officer's name..." More

August 6, 2009: Greeley Man Faces Nearly 200 Charges In Animal Abuse Case

Missing Pets May Have Been Found

WELD COUNTY, Colo. -- Greeley police have arrested a man accused of hoarding more than 100 animals -- dead and alive -- in his home.

Timothy Erin Olofson, 38, was arrested Thursday night for investigation of animal abuse and neglect.

Olofson is being held in the Weld County jail on 74 counts of failure to provide treatment in a humane manner, 62 counts of failing to inoculate dogs and cats and 62 counts of failing to license a dog or cat. All of the charges are unclassified misdemeanors. Each charge carries a

penalty of up to a $1,000 fine and/or one year in jail.

His bond was set at $5,000.

Greely police seized the 102 animals from Olofson's home, located at 403 26th Avenue Court, last Friday. Living in squalor were 52 cats, 10 dogs, two guinea pigs, eight rats and two rabbits. In his freezer were 28 dead animals, police said.

Several of the animals were taken to the Weld County Humane Society. Executive Director Elaine Hicks said most of the animals were in good health, except for a few cats with respiratory problems, an eye infection and one dog that looked emaciated..." More

Aug 3, 2009: Police knew about animal hoarding house a month ago

GREELEY - Police removed more than 100 animals from a Greeley home Friday, even though they knew about the illegal situation on July 7.

Dallas Staley, a real estate agent in Fort Collins, was trying to sell the house in question.

Early last month, she says her son went inside and discovered the deplorable conditions.

"The poop and everything was caked all over the carpets," Staley said.

Staley called Greeley police, but she says the officer came up with every reason not to take action.

"It didn't matter," she said. "He wasn't going to do anything."

Three weeks later, an appraiser saw the same conditions at the same house and did the same thing Staley did: He called police.

But this time, they acted.

They removed 52 cats, two rabbits, eight rats and two guinea pigs. They also found 28 dead cats in a freezer in the home.

Staley now questions what happened to both her tip and the animals.

"I wonder how many died in between there ... How many suffered between there, that's my concern," she said.

Greeley police acknowledge something might have gone wrong.

"We had the initial call on the 7th and it was apparently not followed up on as we would have preferred, given what's been said and we're still investigating that," Sgt. Joe Tymkowych said..." More & Video

Greeley Police Find 102 Live, Dead Animals In Home

"...There were 28 dead animals in a freezer and 57 live cats. Police also found rabbits, rats, 10 dogs and two guinea pigs..."

Field Guide to The Pack Rat: Closet Cases

Hard times can awaken the hoarder within. Your trash is my treasure. 

Psychology Today Magazine By: Elizabeth Svoboda

For more than 30 years, Ange Aguirre rarely got rid of anything. From elementary school on, she squirreled away her possessions in boxes and corners, and when she married at 19, she took it all with her—from the third-grade math work sheets to the letter jacket to the teddy bear she'd been given the day she was born. "I was on my high school drill team, and I had every gift that was ever given to me during a football game," says Aguirre, now 39 and living near San Diego. "I had notes people had written to me when I was in the seventh grade."

Like layers of sediment, Aguirre's belongings piled higher and higher over time, teetering in unwieldy stacks and choking off access to closet shelves. But it wasn't until she and her husband were preparing to move across the country to California that she admitted her tendency to hoard was affecting her life. "We have eight children, and things were getting crowded with their toys and belongings," she says. "I had to do something about it." But when she resolved to tackle the mountain of stuff, her attachment to cherished items got in the way of her judgment, making it almost physically painful to trash them. "They were something to hold on to when the days got tough, to bring me back to a good time in my life."...  More