Hoarding Center News and Accouncements

The financial impact, however, is often just as distressing. "About 75 percent of people with hoarding problems buy excessively, with over half qualifying for a diagnosis of compulsive buying,"says Randy Frost, professor of psychology at Smith College and author of "Stuff:Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things." "Hoarders tend to have lots of credit cards and pile up huge credit card debt," says Frost.

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By Bob Tremblay/Daily News staff
MetroWest Daily News
Posted Oct 04, 2010

Michael A. Tompkins, a licensed psychologist and co-author of "Digging Out: Helping Your Loved One Manage Clutter, Hoarding and Compulsive Acquiring," says hoarding behavior "typically begins in late childhood and is usually mild. It typically builds and worsens over time, becoming significant when a person enters early adulthood and becomes serious when the person is in his or her 40s or 50s. The hoarding behavior can worsen during stressful periods or when a person experiences traumatic events or enters a major depressive episode.