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Dangerous Compulsion
Saving stuff, in moderation, is usually considered normal. But this healthy impulse can go too far and develop into what some experts consider a clinical obsessive-compulsive disorder. Compulsive hoarding affects people of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds. In Britain as many as 600,000 people may be afflicted at some level by a condition that cannot be chalked up to eccentricity or a character flaw. It’s more serious and harder to control than that.
“This isn’t a problem of laziness or negligence,” explains Paul Salkovskis, professor of clinical psychology and applied science at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London. “It’s a psychiatric disorder, unlikely to get better without specialist help.”
It can lead to tragedy. One famous case involved the wealthy and reclusive Collyer brothers. In 1947, their bodies were discovered in a crumbling New York mansion packed with more than 100 tons of junk. Last year, a woman in the state of Washington was smothered when a massive pile of clothes toppled on her. And a few fatal fires have made headlines. Hoarders tend to fill their homes with flammable material and often block exits in the process, which can make escaping a fire impossible.
Last November, firemen battled to reach Bryan Hughes, 77, in his burning home in Vange, Essex. “The house was stuffed with furniture, old electrical appliances, books, papers, photos and videos,” recalls Nigel Dilley, station commander of Basildon fire service. “Men in breathing apparatus had to fight their way down a corridor 18 inches wide between mountains of possessions to where Bryan lay in the kitchen, overcome by smoke.”
Hoarders often require extensive therapy, warns Professor Salkovskis. But many deny they have too much stuff or that the clutter is a problem. And those who do seek help cannot always find or afford the most effective treatment: cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), sometimes paired with medication.
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