Obsessive Hoarding, Mainstream Now?

For years hoarding was a secret shame, a destructive and addictive habit that plagued many Americans but was rarely talked about. Now though, with reality TV shows and websites shedding light on it, obsessive hoarding seems to be going mainstream?

People used to think that these citizens who suffer through insanely cluttered existences were just lazy or something, but now more knowledge is being spread, and hopefully it means more people seeking therapy, counseling and treatment for this psychological problem.

Said one expert, "The general public thinks these people are just slobs or lazy, but actually most of the time it's because . . . of not wanting to waste things, and so wanting to make the right decision about a thing that it becomes overwhelming and they keep it."

Obsessive Hoarding, Mainstream Now?
psychcentral

Extreme hoarding behavior (when people obsessively accumulate things) has often been thought of as a sub-set of symptoms for obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, there has been increased discussion about hoarding being a mental disorder all its own. The Boston Globe recently had the best mainstream press article on the topic that I have ever read, touching the roots of the problem, associated personality traits, and current treatment.

Obsessive Hoarding, Mainstream Now?