Listen here to an insightful interview with a child of a compulsive hoarder. Hoarding is a symptom of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which responds very well to a combination of medication and intensive therapy. Re-organizing and purging is not the answer-it's just a temporary bandaid. Randy Frost, professor of psychology at Smith College explains in a video that the best approach for dealing with someone who compulsively hoards is to sit down and talk with them about it. He cautions family members from trying to get rid of possessions in an attempt to help.
"The worst thing you can do is to go in and throw things away while they're not around…in the long run these attempts are usually failures," he said.
"The worst thing you can do is to go in and throw things away while they're not around…in the long run these attempts are usually failures," he said.