Overcoming Compulsive Hoarding: Why You Save and How You Can Stop

Although the much-satirized image of a house overflowing with National Geographics and infested with cats may make us chuckle, the reality of compulsive hoarding is no laughing matter. The most common reason for evictions in the US and a significant risk factor for fatal house fires, compulsive hoarding is a treatable condition related to obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is characterized by the acquisition of possessions that have little or no value, which the sufferer, often referred to as the saver, has great difficulty discarding.

This book, the first ever written for savers and their families, provides an overview of compulsive hoarding and how it relates to obsessive-compulsive disorder. It discusses hoarding broadly, offering readers perspectives on the physical, behavioral, and value-oriented aspects of the condition. You can use its assessment tools to help decide why you or your loved one hoards. Skill-building exercises help you determine how to beat the hoarding problem by addressing issues that often underlie compulsive saving. Even though this is fundamentally a self-help book, it contains a frank discussion about the need for professional help in some hoarding cases, how to find it, and what medications have been proven effective for savers.

Fugen Neziroglu, Ph.D., ABBP is a board certified cognitive and behavior psychologist, involved in the research and treatment of anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders, trichotillomania, hoarding, body dysmorphic disorder and hypochondriasis at the Bio-Behavioral Institute in Great Neck, NY.

Jerome Bubrick. Ph.D., is a behavior and cognitive psychologist who specializes in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders and hoarding in children and adults at Bio-Behavioral Institute, Great Neck, NY.

Jose A. Yaryura-Tobias, Ph.D., is a biological psychiatrist and an internist with over 40 years experience. He has pioneered research in the dopamine theory of schizophrenia and the serotonin theory of obsessive-compulsive disorder. He is the author of eight books, seven of which he co-authored with Dr. Fugen Neziroglu