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Hoarding Can Run in Families

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I’ve been watching the television show called “Hoarders” lately, and am completely amazed by it. What I find most striking is that many of the people who are hoarders say that someone else in their family, often one of their parents, was a hoarder, too. It seems to be something that runs in families, and that is a mental illness. Without stating names, I will say that there are a few people in my family who were, or are, hoarders. Some of what I see on the television show “Hoarders”, reminds me of the homes of a few of my … Continue reading →

What is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in Children?

It’s common for children to get anxious about various things they face in their lives. A normal amount of worry can help motivate a child to complete a task, try his best in a performace, use caution in a dangerous situation, or show empathy for others. Worry is a natural human emotion. However, kids with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)are ruled by anxiety and worry. Not only is the amount of anxiety they experience unnatural, but the fears themselves are often absurd. For example, a child with OCD might worry that her bus will crash if she doesn’t sit in precisely the … Continue reading →

Compulsive Hoarding-Part 3

In the third part of Compulsive Hoarding, I would like to discuss the strategies we employed in our attempt to positively retrain Daniel in his obsessive behaviors beyond the kitchen and his food issues. Medications are available for the treatment of obsessive behavior. Because the symptoms are usually included in the categories of Attachment Disorder and Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder, some physicians prescribe meds (used to treat these specific disorders) to assist in minimizing the symptoms. Paul and I declined this resource of treatment. We felt in the beginning, and still maintain the logic, Daniel’s compulsive behavior was due to his circumstances … Continue reading →

Compulsive Hoarding-Part 2

In Part One of the Compulsive Hoarding article, I covered several of the symptoms displayed with hoarding and some examples of why a child might conceal food and possessions to the point of irrational behavior. The next step was to make him feel secure enough to minimize and in some areas alleviate the symptoms he was displaying. After realizing our child’s dysfunctional behavior then documenting it to find the pattern and the degree of his hoarding, we began working on the problem. When we first noticed the food hoarding, we didn’t confront Daniel with it. Paul and I wanted to … Continue reading →