Doctorow’s new book, Homer and Langley: A Novel.) After the Collyers mysteriously died in March 1947, authorities removed over 170 tons of stuff from their home. (Incidentally, the Collyers are the subject of E.L. Probably.įrost and Steketee begin their study by recounting the legendary story of the Collyer brothers, who function as a kind of patron saint of hoarders. All of those back issues of The New Yorker stacked by the bed, the ticket stubs tucked in a drawer, the movie titles written on the back of junk mail - all of these don’t really mean anything. The line between normal and abnormal appears when the hoarding becomes disruptive: “If clutter prevents the person from using his or her living space, and if acquiring and saving cause substantial distress or interference in everyday living, the hoarding is pathological”. “The passion of a collector, the procrastination of someone who hasn’t taken the time to put things away, the sentimentality of one who saves reminders of important personal events - all these are part of the hoarding story”. “We all become attached to our possessions and save things other people wouldn’t”, they write. Frost and Gail Steketee are quick to point out in their new book, Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things, that a reasonable amount of accumulation is OK, even normal. Overcoming Compulsive Hoarding: Why You Save And How You Can Stop – Workbookīy Fugen A.Fear not, PopMatters readers, Randy O. Treatment for Hoarding Disorder – Workbook Frost and Gail Steketeeĭigging Out: Helping Your Loved One Manage Clutter, Hoarding and Compulsive Acquiringīy Michael A. Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Thingsīuried in Treasures: help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving and Hoardingīy David F. The book is published by Sheldon Press and can be found on Amazon and other sites. This book is an absolute Godsend to people who are hoarders and the ones they love. It is also a useful resource for friends and professionals.

Packed with practical advice, ‘ Understanding Hoarding’ aims to help those with hoarding difficulties and those that live with them.

Hoarding touches the whole family and, in extreme cases, impinges on basic freedoms, such as space in which to eat, do paperwork or even sleep. Compulsive hoarding can make life a misery, affecting health, well-being and lifestyle, and poses a significant risk of fire, illness, infestation and other dangers.

Stuff by randy o frost