Overcoming Compulsive Hoarding

Although the much-satirized image of a house overflowing with National Geographics and infested with cats may make us chuckle, the reality of compulsive hoarding is no laughing matter. The most common reason for evictions in the US and a significant risk factor for fatal house fires, compulsive hoarding is a treatable condition related to obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is characterized by the acquisition of possessions that have little or no value, which the sufferer, often referred to as the saver, has great difficulty discarding.

This book, the first ever written for savers and their families, provides an overview of compulsive hoarding and how it relates to obsessive-compulsive disorder. It discusses hoarding broadly, offering readers perspectives on the physical, behavioral, and value-oriented aspects of the condition. You can use its assessment tools to help decide why you or your loved one hoards. Skill-building exercises help you determine how to beat the hoarding problem by addressing issues that often underlie compulsive saving. Even though this is fundamentally a self-help book, it contains a frank discussion about the need for professional help in some hoarding cases, how to find it, and what medications have been proven effective for savers.

Although the much-satirized image of a house overflowing with National Geographics and infested with cats may make us chuckle, the reality of compulsive hoarding is no laughing matter. The most common reason for evictions in the US and a significant risk factor for fatal house fires, compulsive hoarding is treatable condition related to obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is characterized by the acquisition of possessions that have little or no value, which the sufferer-often refers to as the "saver"- has great difficulty discarding.

This book, the first ever written for savers and their families, provides an overview of compulsive hoarding and how it relates to obsessive-compulsive disorder. It discusses hoarding broadly, offering readers perspectives on the physical, behavioral, and value-oriented aspects of the condition. Readers can use its assessment tools to help decide why they or their loved one hoards. Skill-building exercises help readers determine how to beat the hoarding problem by addressing issues that often underlie compulsive saving. Even though this is fundamentally a self-help book, it contains a frank discussion about the need for professional help in some hoarding cases, how to find it, and what medications have been proven effective for savers.

Three compulsive hoarding experts team up to provide the first research-based cognitive behavioral treatment plan to help compulsive hoarders learn to recognize the problem, understand the treatment options, and learn gentle techniques to free themselves of this life-threatening disorder.

• Differentiate between hoarding and collecting
• Recognize what type of hoarder you are
• Overcome the fear that makes you hoard
• Stop the clutter from taking over your life

Jerome Bubrick. Ph.D., is a behavior and cognitive psychologist who specializes in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders and hoarding in children and adults at Bio-Behavioral Institute, Great Neck, NY.

Jose A. Yaryura-Tobias, Ph.D., is a biological psychiatrist and an internist with over 40 years experience. He has pioneered research in the dopamine theory of schizophrenia and the serotonin theory of obsessive-compulsive disorder. He is the author of eight books, seven of which he co-authored with Dr. Fugen Neziroglu

Fugen Neziroglu, PhD, ABPP, ABBP, is a board-certified cognitive and behavior psychologist and leading researcher in the treatment of anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders, trichotillomania, hoarding, body dysmorphic disorder and hypochondriasis at the Bio Behavioral Institute in Great Neck, NY, where she serves as director. She is also the coauthor of Overcoming Compulsive Hoarding, When Your Child is Cutting, and has been featured on the TLC show, Hoarders. Her books have been translated to various languages.

Jose A. Yaryura-Tobias, MD., is a biological psychiatrist and an internist with over 40 years experience. He has pioneered research in the dopamine theory of schizophrenia and the serotonin theory of obsessive-compulsive disorder. He is the author of eight books, seven of which he co-authored with. Fugen Neziroglu.