OCD

For some examples of hoarding and how it can affect your life, consider the following scenarios: Lisa is a twenty-nine-year-old who has a compulsive urge to hold onto every flyer and piece of paper offered to her. Her apartment counters are overwhelmed with stacks and stacks of flyers, books, newspapers, unopened mail, business cards, and years of Christmas cards and birthday cards. She feels overwhelmed by the influx of daily items and does not know where to begin, so she avoids it altogether. Nancy is a sixty-year-old who is a self-proclaimed bargain shopper extraordinaire. She can never say no to a bargain, even if it is not something she will need for a long time or at all. Her garage is filled with extra storage containers she got on sale. Her bedroom floor is covered in bags of clothes with tags still on them that she’s found over time, just knowing that the perfect occasion would arise to wear them. Her kitchen counters are filled with extra cleaning supplies she has found for a spectacular price. Her living room is filled with extra gifts for friends that she might need over time. She always likes to feel prepared, even though her current living situation makes it difficult to know what she has. Benjamin is an eighty-year-old widow who lost the love of his life almost five years ago. Since he lost her, he hasn’t cleaned out his car. It is filled from the floorboard to covering the seats with fast food trash, old plastic coffee cups, random bags from parties and Christmas get-togethers, sweaty clothes from the gym, and other items that have gotten lost amidst the mess. Benjamin and his wife used to sit in their very clean car (thanks to his wife’s love of cleaning) and listen [...]