The Secret Lives of Hoarders_ True Stories of Tackling Extreme Clutter - Matt Paxton [0]
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1 - WHAT IS HOARDING?
Chapter 2 - WHY PEOPLE HOARD
Chapter 3 - WHERE TO BEGIN
Chapter 4 - THE PLAN: LAYING THE GROUND - WORK
Chapter 5 - THE PLAYERS: RECRUITING A TEAM
Chapter 6 - THE CLEANUP
Chapter 7 - STAYING CLEAN
EPILOGUE
RESOURCES
Acknowledgements
INDEX
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
A PERIGEE BOOK
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Copyright © 2011 by Matt Paxton
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Paxton, Matt.
The secret lives of hoarders : true stories of tackling extreme clutter / Matt Paxton with Phaedra Hise.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
eISBN : 978-1-101-51488-7
1. Compulsive hoarding—United States—Case studies. 2. Obsessive-compulsive disorder. I. Hise, Phaedra. II. Title.
RC569.5.H63 .P398
616.85’227—dc22
2011002678
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I dedicate this book to my wife, Sarah. Very simply, you are everything to me. Thank you for falling in love with a penniless trash man who said he was writing a book. You are an amazing mother and wife and you are gorgeous. I love you. Matt
For Lily, my junior hoarder.
Phaedra
FOREWORD
Compulsive hoarding is more than just a hot topic in the media today. It is a long-neglected disorder that plagues millions of people. It is manifested in multiple forms, from hoarding dolls to animals to food, and has multiple causes and outcomes. Hoarding is complex and frustrating for everyone it affects, and it takes away human potential for a safer and more rewarding life.
Hoarding is not a private concern. It affects husbands, wives, companions, parents, children, best friends, neighbors, and animals. It sometimes involves expensive public services, such as code enforcement, fire and emergency services, disability benefits, and legal resources: all supported directly or indirectly by public funds. We are all touched in some way by this growing problem.
Hoarding tendencies often