Hoarding and the packrat syndrome

By Jane Glenn Haas

(MCT)

The woman pushes a grocery cart to the door of her Granada Hills, Calif., home, then climbs through a window to get inside.

She steps over piles of rotting garbage. Sacks and bags, boxes and crates full of stuff. Everything from clothes to books to tea cups.

The junk inside forces the woman to live outside. Still, she adds to the piles. She has what is called a compulsive hoarding disorder.

And her children _ forced from the home in their teens because of their mother's addiction _ reunite to try to save her.

The story is being told in the documentary film by Cynthia Lester, "My Mother's Garden."

It's a personal story about Packrat Syndrome but one that is replicated, to some extent, in many homes, says Mary Riley, co-chair of the Orange County (Calif.) Task Force on Hoarding.

Q. The woman in the film is 61. Is this primarily a senior problem?

A. Most hoarders are elderly. Their hoarding often starts with general collecting and escalates until they can't reside in the home anymore. We define hoarding as the acquisition of and failure to discard possessions that are useless or limited in value.

Q. But the possession has value to the hoarder.

A. Yes. The hoarder gives it personal value.

Q. Fire department officials, paramedics, social workers, neighbors _ seems like a full range of folks are interested in solving individual hoarding problems.

A. Forced cleanup is one intervention but we are trying to find more effective solutions. Counseling services, for example. This is a mental disorder.

Q. Give me an example of a hoarder.

A. Ah. How about the woman who had 60 to 100 cats in her house? In severe cases, you are literally walking on a foot or two of trash and belongings.

These people live in such horrible conditions they lose their sense of smell.

And there is often structural damage to the house, which suffers from the weight of the trash on the floors.

Q. The woman in the film was a victim of the Holocaust. Is there usually some event that triggers this disorder?

A. Hoarders come from all economic backgrounds. There is not a typical profile of someone who will become a hoarder.

Q. Tell me some signs of hoarding.

A. Blocked entries and exits are good examples. Narrow or limited pathways in the home due to accumulation of materials. Large piles of newspapers, magazines, used food containers and rubbish. Sometimes there are piles of stuff in the yard.