Hoarding: Health Story

Aired on Superstation WGN
Saturday, April 2 and July 2, 2005
Show 210

Dorothy Daley is one of the millions of compulsive collectors who have an obsessive need to hoard things. "It's depressing and frustrating. I feel pushed into a corner," Dorothy says. Randy Frost, PhD and a professor at Smith College in Northampton, researches why people take saving to an extreme. "When it becomes painful to bring someone into the home, this leads to isolation, depression and shame," says Randy. There is help available for those who hoard in the form of monthly support groups and clutter coaches like Beth Johnson who asks her clients, "What would your emotional state be if you parted with this item?" Having someone there helps keep collectors on track. "Hoarding sometimes relates to memory and people feeling that if they don't keep something, they won't remember it," says Randy. Some collectors are perfectionists. Others have security and control issues. "If I uncluttered, I would be freer, happier," says Dorothy.