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Psychology of Compulsive Hoarding - DR Christopher Mogan PDF
Psychology of Compulsive Hoarding - DR Christopher Mogan PDF
Hoarding
Dr Christopher Mogan
The Anxiety Clinic, VIC
The Psychology of
Compulsive Hoarding
Dr Christopher Mogan
mogan@theanxietyclinic.com
Issues in studying hoarding
Causes and phenomenology of
compulsive hoarding remains unclear -
no DSM IV criteria
Estimates of population with OCD range
from 0.6% to more than 3%. Hoarding in
the OCD population estimated at 30%+.
Hoarders seen as secretive, resistant to
treatment, undiagnosed for years; not a
diagnostic criterion for OCD, only OCPD.
mogan@theanxietyclinic.com
Frost & Hartl (1996) defined
Compulsive Hoarding
The acquisition of and failure to
discard possessions that appear to be
useless or of limited value.
Impairment from
the degree of clutter involved making rooms
unusable for their purpose
negative effect on the personal functioning
of the hoarder - reported risks: fire(47%),
falls (38%), hygiene (35%). Nil hazards
(25%).
mogan@theanxietyclinic.com
Hoarders & non-hoarders
think differently about things
mogan@theanxietyclinic.com
ETIOLOGY (Causation)
Psychoanalytic approaches
Freuds construct of reactive defence against conflict
in the anal stage led Fromm to delineate a hoarding
character - remoteness, withdrawal from others.. a
controlling mode of relatedness - reduce anxiety by
control.
In Kleinian theory, the unconscious urge is to return
all that had been removed from the mother, yet brings
a un-resolvable conflict in the compulsive urge to
hold on.
Contemporary P/A theory emphasizes the loss of
adaptiveness & mental inflexibility of the hoarder in
fearing change/unpredictability
Neurological approaches
Heuristic value based on the reported
issues with memory & organization.
Research is still developing and findings
are inconclusive even with advances in
functional & structural imaging.
Meta-memory factors suggest memory
bias based on appraisal not on deficits.
Cognitive Behavioural
model
CBT has defined hoarding, developed
treatment on a multi-factorial model.
Information-processing deficits
memory, decision-making, categorizing
Faulty appraisal of importance of things
Disability associated with clutter, no
insight, emotional & rigid behaviours.
Some models of Hoarding
Abnormal Psychology model - focused
Delusional Disorder e.g. odd and
bizarre reasons for keeping things
Claiming affinity with animals or special
relationship with or need for things.
Deny obvious neglect, harm & chaos;
hostile, rejecting of help.
Function well outside delusional system.
Squalor model
Dementia and other deteriorating models
emphasize loss of self-care & organization.
Secretive, isolated, uncooperative; decayed
food, animal waste, pest infestation
Hoarder profiles emphasize 65+, single, female.
Dementia brings a sudden deterioration to any
hoarding situation
Require structure, psychiatric assessment,
protective interventions and medication
3) Addiction model
mogan@theanxietyclinic.com
Safety concerns
mogan@theanxietyclinic.com
Phenomenology of hoarding
Examined in a study of known hoarders
in comparison with clinical groups
(OCD, anxiety states) and community
controls (N= 109).
Findings consistent with overseas
research.
Hoarding phenomenology is distinct
from other clinical and control groups.
Measuring hoarding?
Savings Inventory Revised: savings actions, time spent, emotional
responses to saving & discarding, usefulness of saving, interference
caused by saving.
mogan@theanxietyclinic.com
Outcomes
The cognitive, affective and information-
processing factors of CBT model
supported.
Emphasis on severity of clutter, amount
saved, and dysfunctional beliefs about
things.
Hoarders compared with other clinical
groups and community controls showed
significant difference in socio-economic
status (income).
mogan@theanxietyclinic.com
Hoarding-related Early Devel.
Influences Inv. (Kyrios, 2005)
Isolated two factors showing hoarders had more
issues than non-hoarders:
1) Uncertainty about the self and others e.g.
I have never been able to work out peoples
reactions to me
2) Warm Family - assessing memories of warmth
and security in ones family e.g.
My early childhood featured a constant sense
of support
The warm family factor was a significant predictor
of hoarding behaviour.
www.theanxietyclinic.com 26
Predictors of hoarding in
analyses of the data: In order
mogan@theanxietyclinic.com
Termination
Maintenance Relapse
Action Contemplation
Preparation
Precontemplati
on
The Wheel of Change
Treatment of hoarding
Assessment of hoarders in their context to
determine the treatment needs.
Liaison with health & welfare agencies
complexities require collaboration.
Therapy is not quick-fix, outcomes based
on specifying goals. Harm minimization as
in drug addiction as a guide.
Treatment still being developed.
.
Treatment
Learning of skills in managing paper items
categorizing, judging worth, challenging keeping of
everything
Increasing confidence in discarding sessions in
clinic led to systematic practices in home.
Motivation needs to be very high
Respond to positive reinforcement, sense of
achieving very specific goals
mogan@theanxietyclinic.com
Quick fix clean-ups
Imposing controls and cleaning up
without respecting the needs of the
hoarder lead to rapid relapse and highly
reinforced resumption of hoarding.
Better to understand the personal
context, build up rapport and motivation,
by targeting small improvements.
Small goals, active collaboration.
mogan@theanxietyclinic.com
Myths of saving need
challenging
Someone will find this useful.
I never throw anything away.
I must keep all things that recall this person.
I know exactly where everything is.
How helpful to me is this clutter and mess?
These things are my lifeI dont know why!
Throwing things away is rejecting them
Keeping a things is to accept it into my life.
mogan@theanxietyclinic.com
Therapy tips
Skills-building is based on practice.
Discard something however small every
day- DSD
Build a relationship affirming the difficult
task of CH Try to keep them attending
therapy motivation as key to change
Set small targets - safety of self/others
Visualization of de-cluttered room
mogan@theanxietyclinic.com
Future
Research needs financial commitment
Training of associated workers health, welfare,
community carers, state & local jurisdictions -
team approach.
Leadership for the long term research, planning
and resourcing, education, lobbying
Solution not in legislation and enforcement yet
they are essential elements, especially when risk
extend to children, elderly; and also animals.
Dr Christopher Mogan
The Anxiety Clinic
TMC Suite 6,140 Church St,
Richmond 3121
Tel 03-9420 1424
mogan@theanxietyclinic.com
mogan@theanxietyclinic.com