Which Kind of OCD is Hardest to Treat?
Hoarding remains among the most intractable (and dangerous) kinds of OCD. It is even possible that it has helped contribute to the astronomical growth of the self-storage market in recent years. The OC Foundation Web site links to a site devoted only to hoarding, and reports that self-help groups may be the best bet for most people who have this compulsion.
Essential
People who have OCD tend to be highly suggestible. You might come to think that anything dangerous that you hear about on the news can also happen to you — and, in all probability, will. Of course, as you may already have found out, avoiding all dangerous things and situations soon proves exhausting, not to mention, impossible.
Particular Dangers
One serious danger for people who have hoarding behaviors is fire. Not only can clutter, particularly paper items, create ideal conditions for fires to spread once they begin, it can also impede or prevent rescue or escape. Extreme clutter has also endangered, and indirectly claimed, the lives of many firefighters attempting to save victims in “Collyer's Mansions.” (This term refers to the well-educated Collyer brothers, who, during the first half of the twentieth century, filled their Fifth Avenue, New York City, home from floor to ceiling with junk. When one died, apparently in an accident exacerbated by conditions in the house, the other, who was blind, paralyzed, and had been dependent on his brother, perished of starvation. The Collyers' bodies were discovered by shocked police officers and neighbors. Their possessions were said to have weighed more than 100 tons.)
For fire safety, sanitation, and other serious reasons, hoarding behaviors should be arrested if at all possible. As many people who have hoarding compulsions already know, the behavior can also get you into trouble with neighborhood associations, building management companies, and so on. In extreme cases, the Department of Social Services might become involved if children are living in unsanitary or dangerous conditions.
Other Possible Consequences
Some people who hoard end up making their living spaces unfeasible. Gigantic collections can weaken floorboards. It becomes difficult to clean around piles of “stuff,” and the attendant dust or allergens can create respiratory and other physical problems. Vermin can remain undetected. Kitchens may become so full that they can no longer be used, forcing household members to depend on take-out, a costly choice and one that can cause or contribute to serious weight and health problems. Understandably, children of hoarders often feel ashamed to invite friends home.
Question
Do other animals get OCD?
It appears that they sometimes do suffer from compulsions. (Obsessions would be much harder to know about.) Repetitive skin- or feather-picking behaviors have been noted in wild animals and in pets, prompting the first veterinary use of Prozac in the 1990s. (Prozac, however, is not the primary drug prescribed for OCD in humans.)
Like people who have other kinds of OCD, hoarders often worry about unwanted consequences of therapy. The most common concern is that a therapist will discard the person's treasured possessions. This does not happen, even in cases in which the therapist visits the home to help the person learn to manage his clutter and the impact it has on him and his household.
