Watch us on Hoarding: Buried Alive tonight at 9:00pm!

20 Feb 2013

Tune into TLC (The Learning Channel) tonight at 9:00pm and watch Organizing Boston’s founder, Sarah Buckwalter, transform a hoarding disaster zone on Hoarding: Buried Alive.

Do you think someone you know might be a hoarder? Here are some signs and symptoms of hoarding:

People who hoard have a compulsion to store and hide away items that eventually take over their lives. This is known as OCHD (Obsessive Compulsive Hoarding Disorder).

Hoarding affects emotions, thoughts and behavior. The Mayo Clinic says, “People who hoard often don’t see it as a problem, making treatment challenging.” In the homes of people who engage in compulsive hoarding, countertops, sinks, stoves, desks, stairways and virtually all other surfaces are usually stacked with stuff. And when there’s no more room inside, the clutter may spread to the garage, vehicles and yard.

Signs and symptoms of hoarding may include:
-Cluttered living spaces
-Inability to discard items
-Keeping stacks of newspapers, magazines or junk mail
-Moving items from one pile to another, without discarding anything
-Acquiring unneeded or seemingly useless items, including trash
-Difficulty managing daily activities, including procrastination and trouble making decisions
-Difficulty organizing items
-Perfectionism
-Excessive attachment to possessions, and discomfort letting others touch or borrow possessions
-Limited or no social interactions

People who engage in hoarding typically collect items because they believe these items will be needed or have value in the future. A person also may hoard items that he or she feels have important emotional significance – serving as a reminder of happier times, for example, or representing beloved people or pets. People who hoard may report feeling safer when surrounded by the things they collect.