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Curated and updated for the community by APA
People with hoarding disorder excessively save items that others may view as worthless. They have persistent difficulty getting rid of or parting with possessions, leading to clutter that disrupts their ability to use their living or work spaces.
See definition, symptoms, & treatment
The use of telepsychiatry is increasing in the primary care settings, including pediatrician’s offices, and in schools where psychiatrists or other mental health professionals can collaborate with teachers and other school staff.
Just as children across the country head back to school, new research shows that the growing number of school-based mental health programs are effective in helping students.
Many of us are chronicling our daily lives on social media. But could those photos you’re posting hold clues to your mental health? A new study looks at posts on Instagram to see if they can identify people with depression.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA)
Mental Health America
National Alliance on Mental Illness
There have been a number of TV shows and other media coverage about people with hoarding behaviors. Has this changed the way people in general view hoarding disorder or peoples’ willingness to get help?
TV shows have raised awareness of the devastating impact hoarding behaviors can have on the individual and their loved ones. It is important for those affected to understand that TV shows, by their nature, may not capture all the time, effort and hard work that is a necessary part of any mental health treatment program. Hoarding, which became a new diagnostic entry in the DSM in 2013, affects about 2-6 percent of individuals. People with hoarding disorder have difficulty parting with possessions, clutter that interferes with normal functioning and marked distress and impairment. More
Are there early signs that a person may have hoarding disorder? Is it primarily a problem among older adults?
Initial start of hoarding symptoms is thought to happen in childhood or adolescence (typical onset is around age 13) and it is chronic and progressive. Hoarding is more common in older than younger age groups.
Below are some early signs that an adolescent may have hoarding behaviors. These behaviors are typically mild, and progress over years. They may become a severe problem in adults in their 50s. However, not every person with hoarding symptoms has a hoarding disorder.
About the Experts:
Carolyn Rodriguez, M.D., Ph.D. Director, Stanford Hoarding Disorders Research Program Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine
Randy O. Frost, Ph.D. Professor, Smith College Member, Scientific & Clinical Advisory Board, The International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)
Lainie was a 47-year-old single woman referred to a community mental health team for treatment of depression and anxiety. She had never taken any psychiatric medication but had undergone CBT for depression 5 years earlier. more
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AUG 8, 2017
To help our community draw something constructive from this tragedy, I want to share some information about hoarding disorder (HD), which is a struggle that I myself have experienced. The American Psychiatric Assoc. defines HD as a persistent difficulty discarding items regardless of value. The overwhelming distress caused by letting things go leads to areas of the home being filled and rendered unusable. Despite the prospect of potentially devastating consequences, such as the fire in Westfield, the fear of letting go is still too great to overcome.
AUG 6, 2017
Animal hoarding is a specific form of animal abuse where a person collects and keeps far more animals than they are able to care for, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Like other types of hoarding, the ASPCA says, it’s often linked to a mental-health issue. Many animal hoarders think they are helping the animals, despite evidence showing the opposite. Animal hoarding also poses a sanitation risk to the owner and those in the area.
AUG 5, 2017
The animal hoarding case Port Orange officials stumbled upon that January day resulted in more than the horrifying discovery. It burdened a city’s resources, tested a landlord’s compassion and forced Daraio, the 50-year-old tenant, into an intensive mental-health evaluation and months-long court proceeding. Ultimately serving as proof help — and hope — are within reach.
International OCD Foundation – Hoarding
Anxiety Disorders Association of America
Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium
Physician Review By:
Ranna Parekh, M.D., M.P.H. November 2015