...Definition: Hoarding is described the difficulty parting with possessions because of a need to save them. A person with hoarding disorder experiences stress at the thought of getting rid of the items (Frost, 2017).This stress is prevented by keeping items of value in their home. Hoarding creates cramped homes that are filled to capacity, with only narrow pathways winding through stacks of clutter (Frost, 2017). They are sometimes stereotyped as “pack rats” or “chronic savers”. It is important to know that hoarding is different from collecting as hoarding directly impacts one’s quality of life. History Frost’s article “Insight” states: “There is no attributed founder of hoarding disorder (2017). However, throughout history, characteristics...
Words: 1312 - Pages: 6
...homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/brat Prevalence and correlates of hoarding behavior in a community-based sample Jack F. Samuels a,Ã, O. Joseph Bienvenu a, Marco A. Grados a, Bernadette Cullen a, Mark A. Riddle a, Kung-yee Liang b, William W. Eaton c, Gerald Nestadt a a Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Meyer 109, Baltimore, MD 21287-7228, USA Department of Biostatistics, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA c Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA b a r t i c l e in fo Article history: Received 14 February 2008 Received in revised form 7 April 2008 Accepted 8 April 2008 Keywords: Hoarding Prevalence Risk factors Personality disorders Comorbidity abstract Little is known about the prevalence and correlates of hoarding behavior in the community. We estimated the prevalence and evaluated correlates of hoarding in 742 participants in the Hopkins Epidemiology of Personality Disorder Study. The prevalence of hoarding was nearly 4% (5.3%, weighted) and was greater in older than younger age groups, greater in men than women, and inversely related to household income. Hoarding was associated with alcohol dependence; paranoid, schizotypal, avoidant, and obsessive–compulsive personality disorder traits; insecurity from home break-ins and excessive physical discipline...
Words: 7477 - Pages: 30
...house, they cannot do anything because of the clutter, even prepare food, or eat at the table. Hoarding is defined as the acquirement of, and inability to discard worthless items even though they appear to have no value (Hall, 68). Hoarding behaviors can occur in a variety of psychiatric disorders and in the normal population, but are most commonly found in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Hoarding creates a lot of problems; both for the hoarder and those around them. One is just navigating through a congested obstacle course of stuff in a house becomes difficult. To get something requires searching through stacks of stuff. To put something away requires a nuisance of movement of all the stuff in the cramped area, as well as thinking and decisions on how to do it. Another problem is that there are no areas to do any real work such as counters, tables or workbenches. All this consumes a huge amount of time and energy of the people who live in such conditions. According to demographics, psychiatrists estimate between 2% and 5% of the adult population in the United States and Canada are compulsive hoarders. In North America alone, there are about 4000 cases of animal hoarding involving up to 250,000 reported animals. (Frey, 760) Researchers only began to study hoarding in the 1980s so it is possible that the actual rate of hoarding is higher than reported. This disorder is more common among older adults though it can typically begin in late childhood or adolescence...
Words: 1744 - Pages: 7
...Header: HOARDING AND SELF CONTROL Hoarding and Self Control Clinical Practicum Dr. Jones, Psy. D Hoarding is a phenomenon that has not been well defined but is clinically understood (Marchand & McEnany, 2012). Previous literature describes hoarding as a symptom of another pathological entity., In the past couple of years we have seen many television shows showcasing people who are not able to throw away possessions or have severe anxiety when attempting to discard items such as Hoarders, Extreme Clutter, or Hoarding: Buried Alive. In a recent study The Relationship Between Self-Control Deficits and Hoarding: A Multimethod Investigation Across Three Samples (2012) which looked at self-control and hoarding and wanted to see if there was a significant relationship. The researchers looked at self-control from a resource model that was created from a theoretical framework (Timpano & Schmidt, 2013). Literature states that “Self control can be exhausted through physical, cognitive, and emotional mechanisms“ (Timpano & Schmidt , 2013, p. 13). Upon looking at self control, researchers also wanted to see if there is any relevance of self-control to compulsive hoarding. Prior to Timpano & Schmidt (2013) studied, there has been no study or literature that has explicitly investigated the relationship between self-control and hoarding. However, previous studies have seen that “individuals with hoarding often had...
Words: 563 - Pages: 3
...Obsessive Compulsive Disorder What is OCD? OCD is an anxiety disorder where sufferers experience persistent and intrusive thoughts occurring as obsessions, compulsions or a combination of the two. Obsessions are things that people think about and can comprise of inappropriate ideas and visual images that aren’t based on reality, such as being convinced that there are germs everywhere. Compulsions are what people do as a result of those obsessions; they are an attempt to reduce distress or prevent feared events, though there is little chance of them doing so. Symptoms of OCD. Obsessive symptoms. Common obsessions include: * Contamination, eg by germs. * Fear of losing control, eg through impulses to hurt someone. * Perfectionism, eg fear of not being the best. * Religion, eg fear of being immoral. Common obsessions include: * Contamination, eg by germs. * Fear of losing control, eg through impulses to hurt someone. * Perfectionism, eg fear of not being the best. * Religion, eg fear of being immoral. Behavioural. * Hinders everyday functioning – having obsessive ideas of an inappropriate type creates such anxiety that the ability to perform everyday tasks is severely hindered, for example, being able to work effectively. * Social impairment – anxiety levels generated are so high as to limit the ability to conduct meaningful interpersonal relationships. Emotional. * Extreme anxiety – persistent inappropriate or forbidden ideas...
Words: 975 - Pages: 4
...Running head: OCD Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Sabrina Smith West GA Technical College Abstract Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a disorder of the brain and behavior. OCD causes severe anxiety for people who suffer from this disorder. OCD involves both obsessions and compulsions that take a lot of time and get in the way of significant activities. Obsessions are defined as repeated thoughts, images or impulses that are interfering and annoying. Compulsions are time-consuming and troubling repetitive rituals. There are more than 200,000 cases in America per year. There is no cure for OCD; however, there are different types of treatments that may help the chronic behaviors associated with this disorder. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can last for many years and even an entire life span with some people. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a heterogeneous condition characterized by a wide range of symptoms that can be distilled down to a smaller number of unique symptom dimensions (Cordeiro, Sharma, Thennarasu, & Reddy 2015). People with obsessive-compulsive disorder ten to be classified into one of the four major symptom dimensions: symmetry, forbidden thoughts, cleaning, and hoarding. A person’s personality trait significantly contributes to how severe someone’s obsessive compulsive disorder will become (Alonso, 2008). Symmetry – related to obsessive compulsive disorder – is just another way to classify someone as a...
Words: 1432 - Pages: 6
...Literature Review There is a great deal of evidence based literature on many of the symptoms associated with the term hoarding and its relation to trauma. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM IV, listed hoarding as a symptom of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), known as “compulsive hoarding” (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). However, throughout the years research has shown “compulsive hoarding” did not respond to OCD treatments, thus redefining hoarding in the [DSM-V-TR] as a psychiatric disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Until more recently hoarding was a very secretive and shameful disorder. Research suggest that 3-5% of the U.S. population suffers from a hoarding disorder. To put this into perspective, the state of Delaware has 900, 000 residences, 3-5% have hoarding disorder, which amounts to 18, 000- 45, 000 individuals. There are 300 million people in the United States, of that population 6-15 million people are affected by a hoarding disorder. (Cohn, 2012). To address and conceptualize Susan’s co-morbidities of her psychopathological mental distress and manifestations of behaviors I will use three evidence-based theoretical frameworks as...
Words: 1566 - Pages: 7
...Obsessive – Compulsive Disorder BEH/225 Obsessive-compulsive disorder is type of anxiety disorder that is identified by unreasonable thought and fears or obsessions that will lead someone to do repetitive behaviors. People with obsessive-compulsive disorders will realize that they may not be a reasonable behavior, and they may want to ignore this type of behavior or even stop the behaviors. There are many thoughts, different mannerisms that an obsessive–compulsive person may experience, and can be caused by several factors. In today’s society, there are different types of treatments to help someone who has this type of disorder and it can be treated successfully. Like a needle getting stuck on an old record, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) causes the brain to get stuck on a particular thought or urge (Robinson, Smith, & Sega, 2011) . This is a normal behavior for a person who has OCD. Some have a fear of being contaminated by germs or dirt and will continuously wash their hands until they are chapped and are extremely sore. Despite their efforts to control the behavior, many will continue to perform this behavior. Some have a fear of hurting others or themselves, fear of losing things or not having something, an idea that everything must be perfect and orderly, and some will have interfering sexual or violent thought or even images. Hoarding, repeated checking, opening or closing doors, and cleaning obsessively are other cases that are a...
Words: 865 - Pages: 4
...Washing hands until they're raw, lining up cans in alphabetical order, hoarding every newspaper you’ve ever bought: welcome to the bizarre world of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Watching Jack Nicholson in his Oscar-winning performance as Melvin Udall in the 1997 hit movie, As Good as it Gets, had millions of people chuckling at the eccentric and neurotic antics he portrayed. He negotiates his way through the streets of Manhattan painstakingly avoiding the cracks in the sidewalk. He washes his hands habitually and always with a new bar of soap, which he then immediately discards. He takes his own plastic cutlery to the same table of the same restaurant day in, day out for breakfast. Entertaining to many, but to the people who suffer similar symptoms of OCD, such behaviour is a blight on their lives and the lives of those closest to them. It interferes with their ability to function socially and occupationally because of the inordinate amount of time that is consumed by the symptoms: unwanted and recurring thoughts, feelings and sensations (the obsessive part), the irrational drive to do things (the compulsive part) and the severe anxiety that goes hand in hand with these symptoms. It is an extremely debilitating condition that produces fear, apprehension, agitation and torment. It is also far more prevalent than most people imagine. OCD is the fourth most commonly diagnosed mental disorder, estimated to affect between 2% and 3% of the adult population. Irrational...
Words: 386 - Pages: 2
...When I initially chose my research question: Crazy cat ladies and the story behind them. What defines a crazy cat lady? I did not realize how many directions this could take me. I originally was looking towards the crazy cat lady being stereo typical middle aged to older single women. These women replace human interaction with feline friends. Engaging them in both their personal and social lives. However, the peer reviewed information was very hard to come by. I have changed my direction more towards Crazy cat lady or cat hoarder what defines one another? In my research, I found much more information animal hoarding and the mental health conditions associated with the hoarding of cats. In my review, I will discuss what makes a crazy cat lady...
Words: 1015 - Pages: 5
...Hoarding is an endless fight with discarding or departing with their possessions, regardless of the value of the items. People with this disorder get severe anxiety when attempting to throw out any item but tend to get overwhelmed about their possessions. For those who hoard, the quantity of their collected items sets them apart from other people. Hoarding ranges from moderate to extreme and in some cases, it can severely impair the functioning of your daily life. There is not much difference between anyone else as to why they keep the items. Most items have a sentimental value, it could be useful in the future, or the item is easy or attractive to look at. The causes of hoarding are still unknown but it is usually associated with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and...
Words: 2292 - Pages: 10
...Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) affects children and adults by interfering with a person’s routine, schoolwork, job, family and social life. This disorder can be very detrimental to an individual and even their family members. People with this disorder are sometimes stuck in infinite cycles of repetitive behavior. They may have reoccurring thoughts of fear and obsessions that they are unable to control. Most of the time these behaviors and obsessions end up controlling the individual. This may cause them to feel helpless and even anxious. It gets in the way of their normal, everyday life. There are several categories of OCD. Some of these include washers and cleaners, checkers, doubters and sinners, counters and arrangers, and hoarders....
Words: 1310 - Pages: 6
...Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, better known as OCD, is a lifelong mental anxiety that is associated with your brain. This disorder causes people to use their fears as repeated and uncontrollable compulsions. It also forces unwanted thoughts into their brains and causes anxiety. Their brains force them to think about mental fears and act upon them, resulting in repetitive behavior, which are called compulsions. The most common compulsions are cleaning, organizing, hoarding, counting, touching, and tapping. The National Institute of Mental Health states, “People with OCD typically try to make their obsessions go away by performing compulsions.” Some signs of obsessive compulsive disorder is a fear of germs, being overly tidy, compulsive counting, organizing things, fear of hurting loved ones, and many more. A lot of people with this disorder perform these repetitive behaviors and still do not feel satisfied when they are done. Performing compulsions repetitively may cause someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder to have suicidal thoughts and many more problems. A lot of times, when people are experiencing these continuous thoughts of germs, the need to organize, or whatever it may be, they find them discomforting and do not want those thoughts to be...
Words: 693 - Pages: 3
...Psychological Disorders and Treatment For this Assignment, you will apply the course material by answering the following questions in a 2-4 page, double-spaced paper. In completing this Assignment, be sure to use specific examples and references from the text. You will need a cover page, which includes your name, the name of the class and section, and the date. Psychological disorders and their treatment are a fascinating area to study. Imagine you are now a psychology professional, working with two separate clients, each experiencing one of the disorders which you read about this past week. (Be sure to use a different fictitious client than the one you discussed in the Unit 9 Discussion.) 1. Describe how you will identify the specific disorder through actual symptoms which the clients present, using the DSM-IV TR. 2. Recommend two different types of treatment options for each client based on the main four approaches we discussed this term (Psychodynamic, Humanistic, Cognitive, and Behavioral). 3. What specific techniques might you try using to help this client based on these schools of thought? 4. What are the ethical obligations of psychology professionals when it comes to selecting the best treatment? Jon is a 66 year old father of three grown children and is recently separated from his wife of 40 years, Myrna. Jon states that he is a Vietnam vet with service dates from 1963-1969 and a tour and a half of duty in Vietnam. He suffers from nightmares...
Words: 522 - Pages: 3
...Anxiety Disorders – an Outline Fears & Phobias • Adaptive responses • Excessive in nature Fear: excessive fears Phobia: subset of fears including avoidance fear, anxious anticipation, interferes significantly with daily routine, markedly distressed. Social Phobia: 2 types: generalized versus nongeneralized. Five subtypes: animal type; natural environment type; blood-injection type; situation type; “other” type. Common fears: ontogenetic parade. These include: fear of separation; fear of unfamiliar adults; fear of animals, darkness, & imaginary creatures. Adult fears: social fears; fears related to blood, illness, injury, or death; fear of animals; fears of environmental hazards. Genetics: Mean heritability 40%. Environment or combination of both appears important. Theories of Fear: 1. Two-factor Theory (Mowrer) & Pavlov, Watson & Rayner. Includes classical & operant conditioning. 2. Rachman (1976) which includes direct conditioning, modeling, & information/instructional transmission. Prepared Fears (Seligman, 1970): 1. rapidly acquired 2. resistant to extinction 3. “noncognitive” 4. differentially associated with stimuli of evolutionary significance. Research on preparedness theory: Cook & Mineka (1987, 1990); McNally (1987); Bandura Behavioral & Cognitive Theories: 1. Neo-conditioning; 2. Neo-conditioning & emotional processing. Anxiety Sensitivity: Reiss – AS is one of 3 fundamental fears. The others include illness/injury...
Words: 1880 - Pages: 8
