Recognizing and Treating Hoarding Disorder: How Much Is Too Much?

by Carol Mathews

Overview

The first clinical guide to this psychiatric illness, officially recognized by the DSM in 2013.

Everybody has heard the statements “she’s a pack rat” or “he’s a hoarder,” but how many of us really know what that means? Pathological hoarding was first formally conceptualized as a syndrome separate from OCD in the early 1990s, yet it wasn’t until 2013 that hoarding received formal psychiatric diagnostic criteria in the DSM.

How can a mental health professional who sees clients in an office determine if hoarding is a factor in a client’s life? Here, Carol Mathews provides readers with the first-ever comprehensive clinical book on hoarding, covering every aspect of the disorder. Topics include: epidemiology and impact; screening tools and clinical interview tools for assessment; differential diagnosis and co-occurring disorders; when to suspect mild cognitive impairment and dementia; hoarding behaviors in children; how to differentiate normal keeping of items from hoarding; animal hoarding; the neurobiology of hoarding disorder; treatments, both psychopharmacological and otherwise; self-help options; and the impact of hoarding on the family.

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393713572
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	11/10/2020
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	437,679
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Carol Mathews, MD, is the Brooke Professor and the Vice Chair for Strategic Development in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Florida. She is Director of the Center for OCD, Anxiety, and Related Disorders at U of F.  She serves on several advisory boards for non-profit organizations, including the Tourette Association of America, the International OCD Foundation, and the MHASF Task Force on Hoarding and Cluttering. She lives in Gainesville, Florida.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

Chapter 1 What Is Hoarding Disorder? 3

Chapter 2 Epidemiology and Impact of Hoarding Disorder 31

Chapter 3 Assessment of Hoarding Disorder 48

Chapter 4 Differential Diagnosis and Co-Occurring Psychiatric Disorders 69

Chapter 5 Hoarding Behaviors in Children 105

Chapter 6 Animal Hoarding 124

Chapter 7 Neurobiology of Hoarding Disorder 134

Chapter 8 Pharmacological Treatment of Hoarding Disorder 167

Chapter 9 Psychotherapy for Hoarding Disorder 193

Chapter 10 Self-Help Options 225

Chapter 11 Impact on Family and Friends 240

References 255

Index 277

Editorial Reviews

"Dr. Mathews has written an extraordinary book on hoarding disorder... [It] includes not only what it's like for the person who has it, but what it's like for the family members. She introduces you to what happens in the brain areas that cause this disease and treatments that can work. This hopeful book is a must-read for professionals as well as patients and families who suffer from this disease. "

Louann Brizendine

"Too few clinicians can clearly recognize hoarding disorder or know the options available to treat and manage the condition. In this clear and comprehensive book, Dr. Carol Mathews covers all the important bases...I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand this condition and how to help those who suffer with it. "

Michael A. Tompkins

"...integrates the most contemporary research on epidemiology, etiology, assessment, and treatment of hoarding disorder while also producing a book that is accessible for a broad audience. Information is delivered in a manner that one can see the application readily and use the insights in their own practice or care of individuals struggling with hoarding. "

Scott Mackin

"For people living with HD, 'stuff' is just the top of the proverbial iceberg. Recognizing and Treating Hoarding Disorder dives beneath the surface to examine the complexities of this often maligned and misunderstood mental health challenge. In a sea of misinformation, stigma, and shame, this book provides the science and sensitivity needed to navigate safely to a life less cluttered. "

Lee Shuer

"Exceptionally well written, organized and presented... a comprehensive and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Contemporary Psychology/Psychiatry collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists."

Midwest Book Review

"We strongly suggest that you get [Carol Mathews'] book, Recognizing and Treating Hoarding Disorders.... [G]reat information and practical approaches from someone who really knows."

The Science of Psychotherapy Magazine

Reviewer: Michael Easton, MD (Rush University Medical Center)
Description: This is a comprehensive clinical book covering the epidemiology, presentation, neurobiology, and treatments for the poorly understood hoarding disorder.
Purpose: This book is written for a wide audience to help clarify much of the disinformation that exists around this condition. The purpose is to help clinicians and others recognize this frequently misunderstood disorder, understand the effect it has on the individual as well as those around them, and be cognizant of available treatments.
Audience: This book is applicable to a wide audience although it is aimed at mental health professionals. Like all mental health conditions, this book will be useful to psychiatrists, psychologists, trainees, and other mental health and healthcare professionals. It will also be of interest to anyone wanting to better understand hoarding disorder.
Features: This book consists of 11 chapters, many of which start with or include case studies to emphasize the area being discussed. The book starts by defining hoarding disorder followed by its epidemiology, various presentations, assessment, differential diagnosis, and neurobiological underpinnings. The final chapter presents treatment, including psychopharmacological interventions, psychotherapy, and self-help groups. The last chapter explores the important issue of how family and friends are impacted by individuals with this illness.
Assessment: There is a paucity of research and understanding of hoarding disorder; therefore, it is frequently under recognized, misdiagnosed, or inadequately treated. This book attempts to bring together what is known to help improve clinicians' ability to recognize this condition as well as understand evidence-based and other treatments that may be effective in helping this patient population.

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