Overcoming Compulsive Hoarding: Why You Save and How You Can Stop

Although the much-satirized image of a house overflowing with National Geographics and infested with cats may make us chuckle, the reality of compulsive hoarding is no laughing matter. The most common reason for evictions in the US and a significant risk factor for fatal house fires, compulsive hoarding is a treatable condition related to obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is characterized by the acquisition of possessions that have little or no value, which the sufferer, often referred to as the saver, has great difficulty discarding.

This book, the first ever written for savers and their families, provides an overview of compulsive hoarding and how it relates to obsessive-compulsive disorder. It discusses hoarding broadly, offering readers perspectives on the physical, behavioral, and value-oriented aspects of the condition. You can use its assessment tools to help decide why you or your loved one hoards. Skill-building exercises help you determine how to beat the hoarding problem by addressing issues that often underlie compulsive saving. Even though this is fundamentally a self-help book, it contains a frank discussion about the need for professional help in some hoarding cases, how to find it, and what medications have been proven effective for savers.

• Treatment for Hoarding Disorder: Workbook (Treatments That Work)
• From Hoarding to Hope: Understanding People Who Hoard and How To Help Them
• The Secret Lives of Hoarders: True Stories of Tackling Extreme Clutter
• Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things
• Buried in Treasures: Help For Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, And Hoarding (Treatments That Work)
• Digging Out: Helping Your Loved One Manage Clutter, Hoarding, and Compulsive Acquiring
• The Hoarder in You: How to Live a Happier, Healthier, Uncluttered Life
• Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff
• The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do
• Treatment for Hoarding Disorder: Therapist Guide (Treatments That Work)