This article explores the challenges faced by individuals with hoarding disorder, highlighting the stigma, lack of effective treatments, and increasing public health concerns. It also showcases a program in Pennsylvania that aims to provide support and resources through cognitive behavioral therapy.
A pile of objects accumulated in someone's home including clothing and outdoor equipment, household objects, and old electronics. A dozen people seated around folding tables clap heartily for a beaming woman: She's donated two 13-gallon garbage bags full of clothes to a Presbyterian church, including several Christmas sweaters and a couple of pantsuits. To many, a closet cleanout might not seem a significant accomplishment.
But as the people in this Sunday-night class can attest, getting rid of stuff is agonizing for those with hoarding disorder. This version of the story first appeared in How We Care from Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom that drives positive change in Pennsylvania. People with this diagnosis accumulate an excessive amount of things, such as household goods, craft supplies, even pets. In extreme cases, their homes become so crammed that it's only possible to move between rooms through narrow pathways. 'I've had a few relatives and friends that have condemned me, and it doesn't help,' said Bernadette, a 72-year-old Pennsylvania woman who has struggled with hoarding since retirement and no longer allows guests in her home. Bernadette is not alone. People who hoard are often stigmatized as lazy or dirty. NPR agreed to only use the first names of the people interviewed for this story so they could speak freely. Due to demographic shifts, hoarding disorder is a growing public health concern. Effective treatments are scarce. And because hoarding can require expensive interventions that drain municipal resources, more funding and expertise is needed to support those with this diagnosis before this issue of clutter grows into a crisis. The Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, organization started offering the course at a local Masonic Temple after founder Matt Williams realized there weren't hoarding-specific mental health services in the area. The course is based on cognitive behavioral therapy to help participants build awareness around what fuels their hoarding
Hoarding Disorder Mental Health Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Public Health Stigma
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