Hoarding Essay

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` DSM-5 Disorder: Hoarding Dawn Garrido Sarah Sigala Anabel Villanueva Sara Avratin University of La Verne What is Hoarding? Grisham and Barlow (2005) define hoarding as the excessive collection of items and the inability to discard them. As per DSM-5 (2013), hoarding falls under obsessive-compulsive and related disorders due to the recurrent and persistent urges, as well as its repetitive behaviors or mental acts. The act of hoarding can affect anyone, regardless of age, sex or economic status. However, according to development and course, there is a strong association in having a family member who is a compulsive hoarder and becoming a hoarder oneself. This problem usually emerges in early adolescence and tends to worsen with age (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Individuals have been known to develop hoarding after experiencing a stressful life event they had difficulty coping with, such as the death of a loved one or divorce. Additionally, individuals affected by hoarding behaviors usually have complications with information processing, problems forming emotional attachments, behavioral avoidance, and flawed beliefs about the nature of possessions (Muroff, Bratiotis & Steketee, 2010). Furthermore, people who hoard are typically socially withdrawn and isolated while, ironically, others turn to the comfort of hoarding out of loneliness. The DSM-5 (2013) lists six diagnostic criteria for hoarding. The first three are the following: hoarders have difficulty discarding items regardless of their actual value, need to save the items, and have a cluttered active living. Fourthly, items cluttering their space cause distress and impairment in social and occupational areas. Fifth, hoarding is not attributed ... ... middle of paper ... ...gent test of GCBT’s efficacy than a waitlist control (Muroff et al., 2012). BIB participants were allotted a self-help booklet describing specific skills to decrease hoarding over a 20-week period. All participants were evaluated by self-report at the beginning, middle, and conclusion of treatment (Muroff et al., 2012). The trial consisted of mostly highly educated white women averaging 57 years of age, employed, and living alone. All patients received 20 weekly group sessions and 4 home visits by a group co-therapist. The results showed that participants who only had GCBT and GCBT with home assistants displayed significant reductions in hoarding and depression symptoms, whereas BIB participants showed very limited improvement. Ultimately, both trials support the effectiveness of individual and group cognitive behavioral treatment for hoarding (Muroff et al., 2012).

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