Life of a Hoarder - 790 Words

The Hoarders Most of us picture hoarders as crazy single women who don’t have the heart to throw away any container. Hoarders collect materials like newspapers, plastic containers and clothes, all of which are things that can be recycled or disposed of. Hoarding is defined as the acquirement of, and inability to discard worthless items even though they appear to have no value, causing excessive amounts of clutter to impede the livability of his or her home. Hoarding is associated with substantial harmful health risks, economic and social burdens. (Hoardingcleanup.com) An estimated 700,000 to 1.4 million people in the United States are thought to have compulsive hoarding syndrome. (OCFoundation.org) Compulsive hoarding is not just a person who has an overwhelming coin or rock n roll memorabilia. People who hoard may have enormous difficulty throwing anything away such as water bottles, empty boxes, plastic bags, even old magazines in fear that they may use the item in a later time. Their homes are usually fill with items that the rest of the community would call junk. Hoarding behaviors can be caused by psychiatric disorders, but are commonly behaviors in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Hoarding has been linked to families with other mental health disorders such as bi-polar, anxiety, depression, and drug use. Compulsion often starts in early childhood and in the early teenage years. In adulthood the compulsion begins to show signs of the severe symptoms.Show MoreRelatedHoarding Research Paper1425 Words   |  6 Pagesexpressions have been replaced with the coined terms: â€Å"hoarder or compulsive hoarding.† What is hoarding? â€Å"Compulsive hoarding is a specific type of behavior marked by acquiring and failing to throw out a large number of items that would appear to have little or no value to others, severe cluttering of the persons home so that it is no longer able to function as a viable living space, and significant distress or impairment of work or social life (Kelly Owen).† In addition to obtaining excessive amo untsRead MoreProfile Essay1466 Words   |  6 Pages1021 Composition 03/09/13 Mike Koran (left) and Doug King (right) â€Å"I’m Doug. And I’m a survivor.† â€Å"I love to have fun! It is in my blood.† Doug speaks this way as if to show signs of life enjoyment behind scarred mental anguish. This is a man who was diagnosed dead in the back of an ambulance and fell into a coma. Doug is not lying when he says he likes to have fun because he is a man suffering from a severe brain injury due to hisRead MoreWhy One Sin Is Worse Than Another1629 Words   |  7 Pagescommitted in their corporeal state of being. Sins that affect others are considered worse then those that only affect ones self by Dante. The Wrathful in Canto 8 are lower down then the Hoarders and Wasters in Canto 7 because according to Dante, The Wrathful commit violent acts, or sins against others, while the Hoarders and wasters only against themselves. This is how one sin is determined to be worse than another in Dantes ethical system. After looking at circle four and five, I will then go backRead MoreEssay Stepping in to a Compulsive Hoarders House811 Words   |  4 Pagesfoot inside a house was ever going to be this hard. Belonging to 58 year old Ralph Gosling, this property is known to be one of 5% of Britain’s homes owned by compulsive hoarders. Hoarding is a symptom of OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) whereby a person may have a fear of having their items contaminated or taken away. A hoarder usually has adversity in parting with their belongings despite its value. It is an unforeseen issue that several people face, lasting a whole lifetime. The oxford dictionaryRead MoreThe Problem Of Extreme Consumerism926 Words   |  4 Pagesextreme amount of consumerism, but why exactly? What are the possible causes of extreme consumerism? Some of the few possible causes contributing to mass consumerism would include: the want for consumption, the need for consumption, and possibly even hoarders. Although many of the possible causes listed above tie together, it’s quite interesting exploring these causes of extreme consumerism and being able to shine a small light on the subject. As mentioned, extreme consumerism is what makes the economyRead MoreAll About The Hoarding Syndrome1036 Words   |  5 Pagesdiscriminate in terms of age, gender, educational levels, or socioeconomic status (Singh Jones, 2013). However, researchers have found a very strong association between having a family member who has a compulsive hoarder and coming a hoarder yourself (Mayo Clinic, 2014). Stressful life events, a history of alcohol abuse, and social isolation are also risk factors associated with the hoarding syndrome (Mayo Clinic, 2014).   Hoarding effects emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and symptoms may include:Read MoreEssay about Hoarding: Attempt of Affluence, Reality of Affliction 1300 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam James, known as the â€Å"philosopher of America† (Kaila Kovailanen, 2011), had his own perspective on ownership. In 1918 he described acquisitiveness as â€Å"an instinct, something that is part of human nature, present at birth and with us throughout life. This instinct contributes to our sense of self. What is ‘me’ fuses with what is ‘mine,’ and our ‘self’ consists of what we possess† (Frost and Steketee, pp. 48). It seems that even this brilliant mind, who has been considered the father of AmericanRead MoreThe Connection Between the Little Mermaid and Hoarding Essays959 Words   |  4 PagesMermaid, I think the main character Ariel suffers from disposophbia, also known as hoarding. Obsessive-compulsive disorder/hoarding has always interested me. These people take collecting to an unhealthy level. Ariel is the perfect example of a Hoarder. Hoarding is not currently considered an illness on its own right.  Compulsive hoarding has been treated as symptom or subtype  of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (Cluttergone). About 15% of people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder reportRead MoreThe American Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty1198 Words   |  5 Pagescommunity are often animal hoarders, over three quarters of hoarders are women. Often, animal hoarding is caused by traumatic experiences like a relationship breakdown or complex grief situations. On average, a hoarder can acquire from forty to hundreds of animals in their home, cats are more likely to be hoarded followed by dogs (Williams 35-39). After time, hoarder’s homes become deteriorated, overrun with feces, urine, vermin, and the smell of ammonia. Regardless of the good hoarders believe they are doingRead MoreThe Marshmallow Test Was An Experiment Devised By Walter Mischel1258 Words   |  6 Pagesexhibit willpower. This test, in essence, tested the ability of a child to exhibit willpower in a tempting situation. Basically, if the child was able to resist the temptation of a treat, they would be able to resist i n other tempting situations later in life. If they proved to be able to resist eating the snack at such a young age, then as the child grew older, they would be able to resist situations that can tempt them. The experiment tested the ability of a young child to display willpower in an alluring