Quote From: planet818I to am a compulsive hoarder. I have been since I was in my teens. They believe it to be a form of OCD but they're not sure because all hoarders do not have OCD and all those who have OCD are not hoarders. Buy her the book "Overcoming Compulsive Hoarding" by doctors Fugen Neziroglu, Jerome Burbrick and Jose Yaryura-Tobias. I highly recommend it and it may help her but only if as Dr. Phil says she's a "willing spirt". It's paperback, $15. I found it to be a great help. It explains the different degrees of hoarding, why they believe we do it and gives great step by step methods to change the behavior. I hope this helps. Dr. Phil posted a link to the OCD website which lead me to the hoarding website which lead me to this book. For that I am eternally grateful. I hope this helps in some small way.
I found myself really hoping that Dr. Phil and staff would not clean that man's house. I can understand his anxiety. I live that way too. It's spilling out of my home, my garage, my car. I exist in my house, not live. My father helped me clean it out once and before he'd gone I'd filled up the "hole" in the living room with some clothes I "wanted to sort". I'm not sure if they are still there or not. Thanks for mentioning the book. I've been trying to use Dr Phil's Self Matters also to see why I'm living the way I am. I have been to counselors in the past and mentioned this problem. The only answer I get is "take 2 bags of trash out a day". I dutifully answer "sure" and never return. I know it doesn't make any sense, this should be as easy as taking 2 bags out a day. I have not lived this way all my life though there have been other times where it has been this bad. The only thing I can see in every situation is fear but not sure of what.
