Compulsive Hoarding - A Community Approach

Hoarding is defined as “the acquisition of, and inability to, discard worthless items even though they appear (to others) to have no value.” (Frost & Gross 1993)

Clinical criteria:

The acquisition of, and failure to, discard a large number of possessions that appear to be useless or of limited value. Living or work spaces sufficiently cluttered so as to preclude activities for which those spaces were designed. Significant distress or impairment in functioning caused by the hoarding behavior.

Compulsive Hoarding: The Syndrome

Hoarding is part of a discrete clinical syndrome that also includes: Indecisiveness, perfectionism, difficulty in organizing tasks, avoidance. The prevalence of compulsive hoarding syndrome in the USA is estimated to be 600,000 to 1.2 million. This is a conservative estimate since hoarding behaviors are often kept in secret due to shame and embarrassment of disclosing.

Butte County OCD/Hoarding Multidisciplinary Team

Through coalition building, interdisciplinary training, advocacy and resource development, the “Butte County OCD/Hoarding Multidisciplinary Team ” has been created to address this complex behavioral disorder and develop practical tools and resources for the community. Members include families, faith-based organizations, community organizations, and others interested in helping someone re-organize their life.

Our goals are to combine the resources of the community and agencies to provide a coordinated response to residential hoarding when it threatens life, safety, and property, and to raise awareness that treatment can be offered early and prevention strategies can be put into place.

We hope the information provided here is useful. Whether you personally are impacted, or you are a family member wanting information for a loved one, the resources available on this page should lead you to assistance.