Abstract On Hoarding

OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is the unwanted recurrent thoughts, actions, or impulses and repetitive behaviors and actions that a person feels driven to perform (Obsessive Compulsive Anonymous World Services, 1999). People suffering from OCD perform a variation of strange rituals everyday uncontrollably. There are different types of compulsive behavior people with OCD display. For example, hoarders fear that something bad will happen if they throw anything away or give anything away. They compulsively hoard things that they don not need or use. These victims of OCD can become obsessed with not only performing actions, but with keeping objects and possessions.

A picture of hoarding disorder is created through personal interaction and the diagnosis is supported by the DSM V.

Steketee and Frost (2007) developed a protocol for Cognitive behavioural therapy specific for Hoarding that includes cognitive restructuring which involves goal setting, problem solving and addressing maladaptive ways of thinking. It addresses motivational interviewing to reduce treatment resistance, exposure practice methods to reduce clutter accumulation and gradual exposure

This paper will be about Hoarding Disorder. I chose this topic because I believe it runs in my family. I had a Great Aunt and cousin that were hoarders. Also, my mother was a hoarder and I can see some of it in me, but not to the extent of them. My Great Aunt and cousin hoarded newspapers and cats. They had a trail through their house to get around. They had cat fesses and dead cats laying around. They were not always like this. They kept a very clean house, but when my Great Uncle passed away things began to change. My mother would hoard things in rooms no one would go in. Like her bedroom and the extra rooms that were not used. She would keep mainly clothes, but she would hoard other things too.

Between five million and 14 million people in the U.S. are compulsive hoarders. This recent and surprising finding is causing researchers to believe compulsive hoarding is more prevalent that they once thought. (Jabr) Some researchers might even contend that, that estimate is too low, due to the majority of hoarding cases go unrecognised and left untreated. Before the 1990’s, little to none was know about hoarding. There little record of hoarding prior to the twentieth century. (Penzel) Prehistorically, it was a way to save supplies and survive. The early Catholic Church viewed it as sinful. Hoarding was first mentioned in literature in one of Dante’s epic poems as well as other dramas. It slowly gained popularity throughout the nineteenth

Hoarding disorder is a relatively new diagnosis in the world of psychology. Previously identified as a symptom of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), Hoarding Disorder is now classified as a psychological condition by the DSM-5 as of 2013. The disorder is characterized by an urge to obtain and save objects with an inability dispose of objects that have no apparent value to others, along with restricted function resulting from excessive clutter in daily living spaces. The most predominant group afflicted with hoarding disorder is those between the ages of 55-94 years, however recent studies show that the onset of the condition often occurs in childhood. Nonetheless, because symptoms become more significant with age due to the time it takes

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating neuropsychiatric disorder with a lifetime prevalence of 2 to 3 percent and is estimated to be the 10th leading cause of disability in the world. Patients with OCD experience recurrent, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive, stereotyped behaviors (compulsions) that last for at least one hour per day and significantly interfere with the individual 's normal level of functioning. The intrusive obsessional thoughts

Obsessive-compulsive disorder, also known as just simply OCD, affects from 1% to more than 5% of the total population. This paper gives an overview of current diagnosis criteria, statistical data, causes of the disorder as well as current treatment options. While in the past, most clinicians use drug therapy to treat OCD patients, today treatment options are focusing on a combination of psychological therapy combined with drug therapy in an effort to address underlying problems causing the manifestation of OCD while still treating the symptoms of the disorder.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a disorder that can affect children and adults. In order to fully understand OCD, many different areas of the disorder must be reviewed. First, OCD will be defined and the diagnosis criteria will be discussed. Secondly the prevalence of the disorder will be considered. The different symptoms, behaviors and means of treatment are also important aspects that will be discussed in order to develop a clearer understanding of the implications of obsessive compulsive disorder.

M.D. Wayne K Godman’s article, “Obsessive Compulsive Disorder” describes obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) as an anxiety disorder that causes disturbing thoughts called obsessions and/or repetitive behaviors called compulsions. About 20 perecent of people with OCD have obsessions and compulsions, while about 10 percent just have either obsessions or compulsions. For many people, compulsions serve to alleviate anxiety. Godman’s article is mainly factual with examples of the things some people may do whether they have obsessions or compulsions. Common types of obsessions include a fear of germs or illness, unwanted impulses to harm a loved one, or unacceptable sexual or religious thoughts. Common types of compulsions

Hoarding patients has a high rate of co-occurrence with the disorder performing an assessment is highly recommending. Professionals would want to rule out or see if there are attributable of any other medical conditions such as dementia, traumatic brain injury or alcoholism. Individuals that are diagnose with hoarding disorder needs therapy to assist with the disorder. It is important that social worker perform good assessment to provide the appropriate intervention. Hoarding disorder has many health risk that affect or incapacitate a person life and impair their functioning. There are many types of treatment for the hoarding disorder.

Owning massive amounts of objects doesn't make anybody happy. It can be exciting to obtain more items than others and not to stress if you have enough money to spend on an item(s), but deep inside, buyers aren't happy. Compulsive buyers buy more and more to themselves happy that creates an addiction for them. Also, compulsive buyers are not satisfied how much they own. Today compulsive buyers defined only as a disorder, the meaning of the definition is compulsive buyers spending perfect and newest

Harvard Mental Health Letter notes that “hoarding among patients with OCD are 25% to 30% with behaviors typically begin at age 12 or 13, and progressively worsen as people age” (6).

They diagnose the compulsive hoarding syndrome according to three criterions. First, the accumulation of useless possessions and failure to discard them can be a sign of the disorder. Compulsive hoarders have an obsessive need to accumulate and save many objects, and also have a tremendous anxiety about throwing them away. This is because of a supposed need for the objects and their value or an unnecessary emotional attachment to them. If they have any doubt at all about the value of an object, compulsive hoarders will keep it, “just in case” (www.rd.com).

Obsessive compulsive disorder is a disease that many people know of, but few people know about. Many people associate repeated washing of hands, or flicking of switches, and even cleanliness with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), however there are many more symptoms, and there are also explanations for those symptoms. In this paper, I will describe what obsessive compulsive disorder is, explain some of the effects of it, and explain why it happens. I will also attempt to prove that while medication doesn’t cure OCD, it vastly improves one’s quality of life. Furthermore I intend to show that behavior therapy (cognitive based therapy) is another useful tool in helping a person to overcome their OCD.