I do...many of my fellow friends who have shops overflowing with "good
stuff".

In my own case, I see it as a very slippery slope....one great thing
after another can follow you home until the doors to the shop won't
shut.

Sometimes...no many times...you just have to say "No".

Your thoughts?

TMT


http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2790669&page=1

Medical Mystery: Compulsive Hoarders
A Psychological Compulsion to Keep Everything, Even When It Ruins Your
Life
By CECILE BOUCHARDEAU

Jan. 16, 2007- - We are all pack rats to some degree. We hoard,
collect and buy more stuff than we have room to store.

But what if something in our brains made us incapable of throwing
things out? Janie Allocca and Lorraine Brennan both suffer from a
psychological disorder called compulsive hoarding -- an urge to hold on
to even the most mundane objects, even when they take over their lives.


Watch "Primetime: Medical Mysteries" Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET, and go to
ABCNEWS.com during the show to diagnose a real medical mystery.

Lorraine Brennan has been hoarding for nearly 20 years. She lives in a
two-story house in Massachusetts with her father, son and fiancée.
Most rooms in the house are cluttered, and some are even unusable. The
bedroom-office that she shares with her fiancée is overrun with stuff
they tried unsuccessfully to get rid of at a yard sale. Lorraine's
purse is bursting with junk mail and receipts.

Brennan's hoarding is not only ruining her life, but affecting her
entire family. Her son can't bring friends home from school. Brennan
and her fiancée have been engaged for eight years, but he hasn't been
able to commit to marrying her because of the clutter.


'There's No Place to Sit Down'

Many hoarders are also compulsive shoppers. Janie Allocca has
accumulated so much stuff that she uses her own house as a storage
facility and lives with her mother.

"I remember collecting, and keeping, and hoarding things since I can
remember," Allocca said. "And now I am just living around the piles and
piles I need to get rid of."

"I have so much stuff that my house is totally unlivable," she
continued. "There's no place to sit down. I can't get to the kitchen. I
can't have anyone over for tea even though I have everything for tea.
My collecting is taking up the space where I normally would live."

There's a fine line between simple clutter and extreme hoarding. Most
hoarders, observers say, are physically incapable of throwing things
out. They can't live in, or use, rooms like the kitchen for their
intended use. They also experience extreme distress from their
condition.


The Brain of a Hoarder

Hoarding is currently considered a subset of obsessive compulsive
disorder, but that may soon change. New research is finding that
hoarding may be a unique disorder completely separate from OCD.

Dr. David Tolin, director of the Anxiety Disorders Center at the
Institute of Living in Hartford, Conn., has devoted his career to
studying what goes on inside the mind of a hoarder.

"At the moment, compulsive hoarding hasn't been fully defined by the
psychiatric and psychological communities," he said. "One of the things
that we wanted to do was to understand some of the brain mechanisms
behind compulsive hoarding."

Allocca is part of a study Tolin is conducting to see which parts of a
hoarder's brain become active when they are faced with making
decisions. She is hooked up to a brain-scan machine and asked to look
at pieces of her mail and decide whether she wants them to be thrown
out. She then must watch the mail get shredded.

At this point, two parts of a hoarder's brain become active. The
brain's orbitofrontal cortex is involved in decision making and causes
a hoarder to process this experience as a punishing one. At the same
time, the hippocampus of a hoarder actively searches for memories about
the object. The hoarder tries to remember the object: what it is and
why they saved it in the first place. By contrast, people without
hoarding problems just don't think about the object that much.


'A Painful and Effortful Process'

"What we find is that the brain is acting very, very differently when a
person hoards," Tolin said. "When the person is trying to make a
decision about what to throw away, it seems that the person who is
hoarding, is processing this activity as if it is deeply punishing."

"The person who hoards is going through a very, very effortful search
of their memory to try to think of as many things as they can about
this item before they make the decision," Tolin added. "What this all
amounts to then is a painful and effortful process of decision-making,
that you and I might take for granted."

There is no cure for hoarding, and there is no medication to treat the
condition. Right now, cognitive behavioral therapy is the only way to
help hoarders make decisions and deal with their emotions.


Getting Help

In Beth Johnson's "Clutter Workshop" in Hartford, hoarders and
clutterers practice throwing out possessions they have grown attached
to. Johnson also takes her clients on nonshopping -- or nonacquiring --
trips to teach them not to buy things they don't need.

"I try to help them see the larger picture and how this item won't fit
into their life," said Johnson. "If you have a jam-packed house, if
you're adding to it on a weekly or daily basis, you're basically
defeating yourself."

Dr. Randy Frost, a professor of psychology at Smith College in
Massachussetts, focuses on helping hoarders make their homes
clutter-free.


"One of the things we know about hoarding is that the beliefs people
have about their possessions are so powerful, that it's very difficult
for them to get out of this behavior," said Frost, who is also author
of the upcoming book "Buried in Treasures." "If the person throws
something away and experiences distress, and does it again and again,
eventually, they won't have that extreme emotional response, throwing
something away."

Frost held a one-on-one session with Brennan to see if he could help
her. After a few hours, she was able to throw away receipts and a few
pieces of junk, but, as with most hoarders, there is still a long road
ahead.

One major motivator for Brennan is the possibility of losing her
fiancée if she doesn't clean up her home. When asked if she thought he
would really leave, Lorraine said, "I don't want to find out. I don't
want to end my relationship. I want to do better. I want to make it
work. I don't want to live like this anymore. I really don't."

Dr. David Tolin and Professor Randy Frost are co-authors of a self-help
book called "Buried in Treasures," to be published on February 5th.

Too_Many_Tools wrote:
I do...many of my fellow friends who have shops overflowing with "good
stuff".

In my own case, I see it as a very slippery slope....one great thing
after another can follow you home until the doors to the shop won't
shut.

Sometimes...no many times...you just have to say "No".

Your thoughts?



I have this problem in only one respect: scraps.

I just cannot bring myself to throw away a beautiful piece of hardwood
even if it is a scrap, even if it is too tiny ever to be used for
anything.

My scrap bin overfloweth............

My scrap bin overfloweth............


You are not aloneth....the reason why I copied rec.woodworking on this
post is that many of my fellow woodworkers are hoarders in disguise.

Estate auctions of woodworkers always have tons of wood scraps neither
touched.

TMT


Gus wrote:
Too_Many_Tools wrote:
I do...many of my fellow friends who have shops overflowing with "good
stuff".

In my own case, I see it as a very slippery slope....one great thing
after another can follow you home until the doors to the shop won't
shut.

Sometimes...no many times...you just have to say "No".

Your thoughts?



I have this problem in only one respect: scraps.

I just cannot bring myself to throw away a beautiful piece of hardwood
even if it is a scrap, even if it is too tiny ever to be used for
anything.

My scrap bin overfloweth............

I too hoard scraps, but every once in a while I tend to just sort them
out and what I haven't used or plan to use in the future, gets made
into kindling for our wood stove.
Gus wrote:
Too_Many_Tools wrote:
I do...many of my fellow friends who have shops overflowing with "good
stuff".

In my own case, I see it as a very slippery slope....one great thing
after another can follow you home until the doors to the shop won't
shut.

Sometimes...no many times...you just have to say "No".

Your thoughts?



I have this problem in only one respect: scraps.

I just cannot bring myself to throw away a beautiful piece of hardwood
even if it is a scrap, even if it is too tiny ever to be used for
anything.

My scrap bin overfloweth............

Too_Many_Tools wrote:

I do...many of my fellow friends who have shops overflowing with "good
stuff".

snip

I received some great training in this regard.

As a matter of company policy, once a year had to go thru the files
and throw away anything over one year old with tax records and
engineering documents excepted.

After completing this task, had to sign off that you actually had done it.

Was told the lawyers were the reason for the policy.

Something to the effect that if it doesn't exist, it can't come back
to haunt you.

Had customers with similar policies.

Sort of sets the mood not to hoard things.

Also, a move every 5 years or so, gets rid of a lot of "stuff".

Lew

bdeditch wrote:
I too hoard scraps, but every once in a while I tend to just sort them
out and what I haven't used or plan to use in the future, gets made
into kindling for our wood stove.

And the fact you can actually part with above mentioned scraps proves
you're just an average pack rat...a "real" hoarder would have a panic
attack trying to sort through or throw away the scraps.

Then again...I've seen what appear to be packrats on TLC's Clean Sweep
who break down sobbing over letting go of some pillow they've had since
childhood. But they do it....eventually.

Gus wrote:

I just cannot bring myself to throw away a beautiful piece of hardwood
even if it is a scrap, even if it is too tiny ever to be used for
anything.


Don't say that. A friend used hardwood scraps as backing for his
handmade trophies. One of a kind stuff. You might offer yours to a
trophy maker if you aren't interested in getting into the business. Or
turn them into individual bookends. Or offer to some woodworking type
at a craft show.

On Tue, 16 Jan 2007 20:38:49 GMT, Lew Hodgett
wrote:



Also, a move every 5 years or so, gets rid of a lot of "stuff".

Lew

If *you* don't throw it out, eventually your kids will.

Too_Many_Tools wrote:

I do...many of my fellow friends who
have shops overflowing with "good stuff".

Yeah, very common.

In my own case, I see it as a very slippery slope....
one great thing after another can follow you home
until the doors to the shop won't shut.

True, when I was building the house, I'd bring back quite
a bit of stuff from the dump. Some got used right away,
particularly discarded seedling trees etc, other stuff got
used later, particularly scrap wood and steel etc. Other
stuff never did get used like the VW beetle transaxel etc
that I considered turning into a dune buggy etc and never
did get around to. Tried to drag it out the front for the most
recent collection day but it was too heavy to move easily
so I took the easy way out and gave up till next time.

Sometimes...no many times...you just have to say "No".

Your thoughts?

I dont bother to get rid of most stuff that dies. I've still got
the hot water service that died, because the big white metal
square case is decent metal for making letterboxes etc.

Still got the washing machine I last used 35 years ago,
mainly for the decent motor and pump, should bin that
on the next collection day, its a bit hard to get out tho.

Still got the smaller upright freezer that is uneconomic
to repair, just because it seems such a waste of what
is a very decent little cabinet thing, might one day get
around to putting a beer brewing barrel into for easier
heater control in winter. I currently put a big wrap around
insulating foam pad around the barrel with a heater belt
with monster zip ties initially and once its bottled or when
I have two barrels brewing, I have a fan heater in the
smallest room in the house that doesnt get used as
a toilet since I have two of those.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2790669&page=1

Medical Mystery: Compulsive Hoarders
A Psychological Compulsion to Keep Everything,
Even When It Ruins Your Life

Most of us are nothing like these pathetic wretches,
we dont keep discarded packaging etc much.

By CECILE BOUCHARDEAU

Jan. 16, 2007- - We are all pack rats to some degree.

Some people arent.

We hoard, collect and buy more stuff than we have room to store.

I've got plenty of room.

But what if something in our brains made
us incapable of throwing things out?

There's no one that bad. If you threaten to kill them if they dont
throw it away, they wont refuse to part with it and die clutching it.

Janie Allocca and Lorraine Brennan both suffer from a psychological
disorder called compulsive hoarding -- an urge to hold on to even the
most mundane objects, even when they take over their lives.

Watch "Primetime: Medical Mysteries" Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET, and go
to ABCNEWS.com during the show to diagnose a real medical mystery.

Lorraine Brennan has been hoarding for nearly 20 years. She lives in
a two-story house in Massachusetts with her father, son and fiancée.
Most rooms in the house are cluttered, and some are even unusable.
The bedroom-office that she shares with her fiancée is overrun with
stuff they tried unsuccessfully to get rid of at a yard sale. Lorraine's
purse is bursting with junk mail and receipts.

Brennan's hoarding is not only ruining her life, but affecting her
entire family. Her son can't bring friends home from school. Brennan
and her fiancée have been engaged for eight years, but he hasn't
been able to commit to marrying her because of the clutter.

'There's No Place to Sit Down'

Many hoarders are also compulsive shoppers. Janie Allocca
has accumulated so much stuff that she uses her own house
as a storage facility and lives with her mother.

"I remember collecting, and keeping, and hoarding things since I can
remember," Allocca said. "And now I am just living around the piles
and piles I need to get rid of."

"I have so much stuff that my house is totally unlivable," she
continued. "There's no place to sit down. I can't get to the kitchen.
I can't have anyone over for tea even though I have everything for
tea. My collecting is taking up the space where I normally would
live."

There's a fine line between simple clutter and extreme hoarding. Most
hoarders, observers say, are physically incapable of throwing things
out. They can't live in, or use, rooms like the kitchen for their
intended use. They also experience extreme distress from their
condition.


The Brain of a Hoarder

Hoarding is currently considered a subset of obsessive compulsive
disorder, but that may soon change. New research is finding that
hoarding may be a unique disorder completely separate from OCD.

Dr. David Tolin, director of the Anxiety Disorders Center at the
Institute of Living in Hartford, Conn., has devoted his career to
studying what goes on inside the mind of a hoarder.

"At the moment, compulsive hoarding hasn't been fully defined by the
psychiatric and psychological communities," he said. "One of the
things that we wanted to do was to understand some of the brain
mechanisms behind compulsive hoarding."

Allocca is part of a study Tolin is conducting to see which parts of a
hoarder's brain become active when they are faced with making
decisions. She is hooked up to a brain-scan machine and asked to look
at pieces of her mail and decide whether she wants them to be thrown
out. She then must watch the mail get shredded.

At this point, two parts of a hoarder's brain become active. The
brain's orbitofrontal cortex is involved in decision making and causes
a hoarder to process this experience as a punishing one. At the same
time, the hippocampus of a hoarder actively searches for memories
about the object. The hoarder tries to remember the object: what it
is and why they saved it in the first place. By contrast, people
without hoarding problems just don't think about the object that much.


'A Painful and Effortful Process'

"What we find is that the brain is acting very, very differently when
a person hoards," Tolin said. "When the person is trying to make a
decision about what to throw away, it seems that the person who is
hoarding, is processing this activity as if it is deeply punishing."

"The person who hoards is going through a very, very effortful search
of their memory to try to think of as many things as they can about
this item before they make the decision," Tolin added. "What this all
amounts to then is a painful and effortful process of decision-making,
that you and I might take for granted."

There is no cure for hoarding, and there is no medication to treat the
condition. Right now, cognitive behavioral therapy is the only way to
help hoarders make decisions and deal with their emotions.


Getting Help

In Beth Johnson's "Clutter Workshop" in Hartford, hoarders and
clutterers practice throwing out possessions they have grown attached
to. Johnson also takes her clients on nonshopping -- or nonacquiring
-- trips to teach them not to buy things they don't need.

"I try to help them see the larger picture and how this item won't fit
into their life," said Johnson. "If you have a jam-packed house, if
you're adding to it on a weekly or daily basis, you're basically
defeating yourself."

Dr. Randy Frost, a professor of psychology at Smith College in
Massachussetts, focuses on helping hoarders make their homes
clutter-free.


"One of the things we know about hoarding is that the beliefs people
have about their possessions are so powerful, that it's very difficult
for them to get out of this behavior," said Frost, who is also author
of the upcoming book "Buried in Treasures." "If the person throws
something away and experiences distress, and does it again and again,
eventually, they won't have that extreme emotional response, throwing
something away."

Frost held a one-on-one session with Brennan to see if he could help
her. After a few hours, she was able to throw away receipts and a few
pieces of junk, but, as with most hoarders, there is still a long road
ahead.

One major motivator for Brennan is the possibility of losing her
fiancée if she doesn't clean up her home. When asked if she thought he
would really leave, Lorraine said, "I don't want to find out. I don't
want to end my relationship. I want to do better. I want to make it
work. I don't want to live like this anymore. I really don't."

Dr. David Tolin and Professor Randy Frost are co-authors of a
self-help book called "Buried in Treasures," to be published on
February 5th.

My hoarding problem is this. I have a lot of valuable stuff left over
from my ebay dealings. Like little T6061 aluminum plates and bars for
example. Or super nice strong stainless painted steel handles. Super
high quality. I may use a few "one day". In fact I will use some on my
trailer project. Or a few pulleys. But, despite being valuable, they
are not economical to try to sell them. Too little money, too much
hassle, and quite possibly they would not sell at all. But I cannot
throw them away in good conscience.

i