Are You A Hoarder?

Hoarding Fact Sheet
This Fact Sheet is Published through the Courtesy of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Older Adults Services Division. 

Hoarding is the excessive collection and retention of things or animals until they interfere with day-to-day functions such as home, health, family, work and social life. Severe hoarding causes safety and health hazards.

The collection of newspapers, magazines, old clothes and other items may cause fires while animal hoarding can spread contagious diseases. It is estimated that older adults represent a significant number of people who hoard.

Why do People Hoard?

The behavior of hoarding is seen in various illnesses. Because of that, it has been difficult to place in a diagnostic category. Time and/or age of onset are variable and the behavior differs from person to person. 

Frequently, older adults have been found to hoard for the following reasons:

	Items are perceived as valuable
	Items provide a source of security
	Fear of forgetting or losing items
	Constant need to collect and keep things
	Obtaining love not found from people
	Fear others will obtain their personal information
	Physical limitations and frailty
	Inability to organize
	Self neglect
	Stressful life events

Hoarding is recognized as both a mental health issue and a public health problem. It is typically not an immediate crisis. The hoarding behavior usually has been occurring for a long time and hasty interventions will not resolve it. in addition, interventions without the older adult's cooperation can lead to the development of dangerous behaviors. Careful assessment of the individual situation is essential for a successful outcome. 

Therefore, it is recommended that intervention be collaborative involving the older adult, family and other agencies, i.e. mental health, adult protective services, code enforcement, building & safety, animal control and criminal justice.

Tips

	DO use a soft, gentle approach and let the older adult tell his/her story.
	DO treat the older adult with respect and dignity.
	DO respect the meaning and attachment to possessions by the older adult, which may be as intense as human attachment.
	DO remain calm and factual, but caring and supportive.
	DO evaluate for safety.
	DO refer for medical and mental health evaluation.
	DO go slowly and expect gradual changes.
	DO reassure the older adult that others will try to help and work with him/her.
	DO involve the older adult in seeking solutions.
	DO work with other agencies to maximize resources.

	DON'T hospitalize unless there is a clear plan for what this is to accomplish.
	DON'T force interventions.
	DON'T be critical or judgmental about the older adult's environment.
	DON'T use the older adult's first name unless he/she gives permission.
	DON'T press the older adult for information that appears to make him/her uncomfortable.
	DON'T make negative, teasing or sarcastic comments.
	DON'T talk about the older adult to others as if he/she is not present.

Resources

	Department of Mental Health - ACCESS Center (800) 854-7771 Information & referral to local mental health system of care, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
	Adult Protective Services (800) 992-1660 Investigation & crisis intervention for elder and dependent adult abuse including self-neglect, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
	Infoline (800) 339-6993; TDD (800) 660-4026 24-hour information & referral to human service agencies.
	Self-Help and Recovery (310) 305-8878 Referrals to hoarding and other self help support groups.May be recorded messages.

Websites

 Regina Lark  http://www.aclearpath.net

	Randy O. Frost - Hoarding researcher from Smith College has a site that includes an extensive bibliography of hoarding articles.
	The Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation offers information and resources about obsessive compulsive disorder and hoarding.
	The Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium  at Tuft University.

Recommended Readings

Damecour, L. & Charron, M.
"Hoarding: a Symptom, Not a Syndrome."
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 1998

Frost, R. & Hartl, T.
"A Cognitive-Behavioral Model of Compulsive Hoarding."
Behavior Research and Therapy, 1996

Patronek, G.
"Hoarding of Animals: An Under-Recognized Public Health Problem in a Difficult-to-Study Population."
Public Health Reports, 1999

Thomas, D.
"Hoarding" Eccentricity or Pathology: When to intervene?"
Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 1998 

You may want to contact the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health Older Adult Services Division at: (213) 351-7284  or go to http://www.la4seniors.com/hoarding.htm  

A hoarder is not simply a pack rat. A pack rat gets rid of some "collectibles" when he or she runs out of room in the garage or basement. A hoarder simply moves the stuff into the bathtub.

Hoarding is a symptom of a mental illness, an anxiety disorder -- some experts say obsessive compulsive disorder, while others say it's a category unto itself. It's defined by three primary traits: the obsessive collection of objects that seem useless to almost everyone else, the inability to get rid of any of them and a resulting state of distress or peril.

 Hoarding:  Buried Alive is a reality TV Show on the TLC channel.