The Secret Lives of Hoarders_ True Stories of Tackling Extreme Clutter - Matt Paxton [84]
Lakeside Center for Behavioral Change (Dr. Renae Reinardy): www.lakesidecenter.org
Kansas City Center for Anxiety Treatment (Dr. Lisa Hale): www.kcanxiety.com
The Institute of Living (Dr. David Tolin): www.compulsivehoarding.org
Panic/Anxiety/Recovery Center (PARC): www.beyondanxiety.com
Compulsive Hoarding Center (Dr. Robin Zasio): www.compulsivehoardingcenter.com
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Institute of Greater New Orleans (Dr. Suzanne Chabaud): www.ocdigno.com
SUPPORT GROUPS
Most localities do not have physical support groups for family members of hoarders or for hoarders themselves, but that is changing. Meanwhile, there are multiple support groups online. These grow and change quickly, so to stay current on what’s available, search on the following keywords: hoarding support, squalor support, organizational therapy, families of hoarding, and children of hoarding.
Children of Hoarders: www.childrenofhoarders.com (This site also features a valuable resource page of general hoarding information.)
Clutterers Anonymous: www.clutterersanonymous.net
Squalor Survivors: www.squalorsurvivors.com
Mates of Messies: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mates-of-Messies/
ANIMAL HOARDING
Animal hoarding is a growing disorder that is receiving increasing attention, with more and more resources and research becoming available. Please be aware that the pictures on some of these websites are graphic and can be disturbing. Additional information can be found by searching for these keywords: animal hoarding, animal abuse, pet abuse, animal cruelty, and foreclosure pets.
ASPCA: www.aspca.org
Humane Society: www.humanesociety.org
Pet Abuse: www.pet-abuse.com/pages/animal_cruelty/hoarding.php
Animal Legal Defense Fund: www.aldf.org
Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium: www.tufts.edu/vet/hoarding/harc.htm
GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
For a hoarding cleanup to be successful, it is important for hoarders to get a better understanding of what is the trigger and why they hoard. I encourage all hoarders and family or friends affected by hoarding to seek therapy if needed. Below is a list of websites that can lead to local therapists who can help with long-term treatment. Keywords include psychology, therapy, cognitive therapy, social workers, abuse, divorce, grief, and separation.
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies: www.abct.org (searchable national therapist list)
Awareness Foundation for OCD and Related Disorders: www.ocdawareness.com
American Psychological Association: www.apa.org
Anxiety Disorders Association of America: www.adaa.org (searchable national therapist list)
BOOKS
We have written an overview of hoarding—what it is, why it happens, and how to help. These books are helpful to learn more specifics about the disorder and how to work with it, for understanding the psychology of hoarding, and for step-by-step suggestions on how to organize a house so that it stays clean.
Digging Out: Helping Your Loved One Manage Clutter, Hoarding, and Compulsive Acquiring by Michael A. Tompkins and Tamara L. Hartl (New Harbinger Publications, 2009)
Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Randy O. Frost and Gail Steketee (Houghton Mifflin, 2010)
Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding by David F. Tolin, Randy O. Frost, and Gail Steketee (Oxford University Press, 2007)
Overcoming Compulsive Hoarding by Fugen Neziroglu, Jerome Bubrick, and Jose Yaryura-Tobias (New Harbinger Publications, 2004)
It’s All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff by Peter Walsh (Free Press, 2007)
CLEANING
Some families may try to clean the home themselves and some families may bring in a professional. Regardless of how the home gets cleaned, it’s important to explore