Hoarders in the News

If you have a hoarding or clutter problem then my newest
teleseminar (workshop by phone) might be just what you need!
Check out, Moving and Balancing the Energy of You and Place:
Seven Weeks to Creating Positive Energies in You and Your
Environments at Energy http://www.overhall.com/energy.htm

Lately there seems to be an on-slaughter about hoarders in the
news and/or television programs, such as Dr. Phil. Some
interesting stories….

Dr. Phil had a guest on, John, that had to move out of his three
bedroom home (so did his wife) into a small trailer. John thought
his family was overreacting to his clutter! What do you think?
Dr. Phil Show

http://drphil.com/shows/show/668/

Feb. 11, 2006 ABC News did a piece on Compulsive Hoarders
about Linda who is drowning in her “treasures.” According to
ABC News, ” …[at] least 2 million people in this country with a
condition known as compulsive hoarding. They suffer from a
powerful urge to acquire and a paralyzing inability to discard.”
Linda’s disorder Cost Her a Job and a Fiance!
ABC News

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Health/story?id=1606646&page=1

Feb 12, 2006 ABC News did another piece on Hoarding, Office
Hoarders with Ben, an owner of a Real Estate business. It seems
Ben had his “light bulb” when he realized, with the help of Dr.
David Tolin, that he was giving up his time for pieces of paper!
ABC News

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Health/story?id=1608778&page=1

Feb. 8, 2006 NBC did a piece on a husband that hoarded and
asked ‘Today’ contributor Dr. Gail Saltz for some help.
NBC News

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11239836/

Feb. 12, 2006 writer Emily Gurnon of Pioneer Press did a piece,
Obsessive disorder gives rise to clutter. “Experts say
“compulsive hoarding” affects people of all ages, occupations
and socioeconomic levels. In a case in point, St. Paul property
inspectors came across this scene in an otherwise beautiful three-
story home on historic Summit Avenue in 2001. The residence
was condemned until the owner could correct the problem.”
Twin Cities

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/local/13845362.htm

Jan. 29, 2006 a fabulous piece by writer Jennifer Wells of
Toronto Star, Hoard mentality bring sin Dr. Randy Frost, the
“godfather” of researching hoarding and pack ratting with
relationship to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This is a
MUST read!
Toronto Star

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=

1138451589292&call_pageid=968332188492&col=
968793972154&t=TS_Home

Jan. 18, 2006 a nice piece by reporter Susan Glaser of
Plain Dealer, For some, tidying up requires therapy, in which she
reports a death: “A 62-year-old Washington state woman died
earlier this month, smothered under debris in her own bedroom.
” It took 10 hours for the police to find her! And in the same
week firefighters in Miami spent hours searching for an elderly
man in a burning house crammed with boxes of trash and old
furniture and appliances. “You couldn’t even get in because of all
the stuff in there,” said a department spokesman. The man wasn’t
home at the time.
Plain Dealer

http://www.cleveland.com/living/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/living

/1137576678235940.xml&coll=2&thispage=1

If you’re a hoarder and live in the Boston area you might qualify to participate in Dr. David Tolin’s research:

Compulsive Hoarding
The Anxiety Disorders Center, in collaboration with Smith College and Boston University, is conducting a study sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health on the treatment of compulsive hoarding. Compulsive hoarding is a problem of excessive clutter in one’s home, usually associated with severe difficulty discarding items and/or acquiring an excessive number of items that one does not actually need.

Participants in this study will receive free cognitive-behavioral therapy in our office and in their home. People may participate in this study if they live within 30 minutes’ drive of Boston or Hartford, have a problem with excessive clutter along with difficulty discarding or bringing unnecessary items into the home, and are not taking psychiatric medications.

People who have a problem with compulsive hoarding, but do not meet criteria for this study may still be eligible to participate in future research and are welcome to contact us for more information.

If you are interested in participating in any of these studies, please contact:

David F. Tolin Ph.D.
Director, Anxiety Disorders Center
The Institute of Living
200 Retreat Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106
Phone: (860) 545-7574
Fax: (860) 545-7156
E-mail: dtolin@harthosp.org