Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding

by David F. Tolin, Randy O. Frost, Gail Steketee

Overview

Buried in Treasures outlines a scientifically-based and effective program for helping compulsive hoarders dig their way out of the clutter and chaos of their homes. Discover the reasons for your problems with acquiring, saving, and hoarding, and learn new ways of thinking about your possessions so you can accurately identify those things you really need and those you can do without. Learn to recognize the "bad guys" that maintain your hoarding behavior and meet the "good guys" who will motivate you and put you on the path to change. Features of this book include: -Self-assessments to determine the severity of the problem -Tips and tools for organizing your possessions and filing your paperwork -Strategies for changing unhelpful beliefs about your possessions -Behavioral experiments to reduce your fear of anxiety and fear of discarding.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199727261
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	02/08/2007
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

David F. Tolin, Ph.D. is the founder and Director of the Anxiety Disorders Center at The Institute of Living, in Hartford, Connecticut. A leading authority on compulsive disorders, he has been interviewed for The New York Times and the Associated Press, and has been a recurrent guest on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Randy O. Frost, Ph.D. is the Harold Edward and Elsa Siipola Israel Professor of Psychology at Smith College. He is co-editor of the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation (OCF) website on hoarding. The leading authority on compulsive hoarding, he has been interviewed for The New York Times, Newsweek, and National Public Radio, and has appeared on ABC 20/20 Downtown, Good Morning America, and Dateline. Gail Steketee, Ph.D. is Professor at the Boston University School of Social Work. Her recent research, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, focuses on diagnostic and personality aspects of compulsive hoarding and on effective treatments. She and Dr. Frost have written the manual for mental health clinicians who treat hoarding problems.

Table of Contents

Introduction     3
What Is Compulsive Hoarding?     11
How Did This Happen?     29
Meet the Bad Guys     43
Meet the Good Guys: Strategies for Beating Hoarding     61
Enhancing Motivation     71
Sorting/Discarding: Getting Ready     87
Sorting/Discarding: Let's Go!     111
Help With Reducing Acquiring     123
Here Come the Bad Guys: Part 1. Motivation and Working Time     139
Here Come the Bad Guys: Part 2. Taking on Your Brain     149
Maintaining Your Success     169

What People are Saying About This

"I would recommend this book to treatment providers, professional organizers and the compulsive hoarder. This book, if used properly, will guide the reader to clutter-free living!"
—Patricia B. Perkins, JD, Executive Director, OC Foundation, Inc.

"The world's leading experts on compulsive acquiring, hoarding and saving have presented their proven, step-by-step treatment in a practical, easy-to-understand format that will be useful to anyone who hoards, as well as any professional who treats this problem. If you are looking for ways to clear your clutter, you need to read this book now!"
—Martin M. Antony, Ph.D., ABPP, Professor, Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Author, When Perfect Isn't Good Enough

Editorial Reviews

In this clear recovery manual, Tolin (director, Anxiety Disorders Ctr., Inst. of Living), Randy O. Frost (psychology, Smith Coll.; coauthor, Compulsive Hoarding and Acquiring), and Gail Steketee (clinical practice, Boston Univ. Sch. of Social Work; Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) shed light on compulsive hoarding, a lesser-known behavioral syndrome that is typically grouped with obsessive-compulsiveness. Three main symptoms must be present: a person experiences great difficulty discarding objects that are useless or of limited value, the clutter prevents or seriously limits the use of living space, and the clutter causes significant impairment. Besides defining compulsive hoarding, the authors address special issues involved with the disorder, then follow with a discussion of the current clinical understanding of possible causes, current research on what prevents hoarders from benefiting from organizing programs, how to help motivate those wishing to change, and ways to maintain success in a treatment regimen. Numerous self-assessments and other treatment tools that have been used by the authors with their hoarder patients make the book most suitable for sufferers themselves, rather than professionals. Highly recommended for public libraries and university libraries supporting the helping professions.
—Dale Farris

Library Journal

"I would recommend this book to treatment providers, professional organizers and the compulsive hoarder. This book, if used properly, will guide the reader to clutter-free living!" -Patricia B. Perkins, JD, Executive Director, OC Foundation, Inc.

"The world's leading experts on compulsive acquiring, hoarding and saving have presented their proven, step-by-step treatment in a practical, easy-to-understand format that will be useful to anyone who hoards, as well as any professional who treats this problem. If you are looking for ways to clear your clutter, you need to read this book now!" -Martin M. Antony, Ph.D., ABPP, Professor, Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Author, When Perfect Isn't Good Enough

"...[the authors] have been leading the way in documenting characteristics of sufferers and how to treat the condition...an excellent guide for therapists who have only limited experience in treating hoarding, as well as for those who treat other subtypes of OCD but not necessarily hoarding."—Cognitive and Behavioral Practice

"There are a fair number of self-help books out there on aspects of OCD. Buried in Treasures is among the best of them. People with a hoarding problem should definitely find value in this book. It also belongs on the shelf of many mental health providers because whatever population one is working with will have its share of individuals with this problem. I hope that, in future, the authors may bring their knowledge, experience, and excellent writing skills to additional self-help books on aspects of OCD."—PsycCRITIQUES

From the Publisher