Hoarding is Not the Name of an American President

It's the day after Christmas, the season when comic strips to 'last year's Christmas tree' gags, some folks tidy up the house in preparation for a New Year's Eve party, and a few add another layer to a growing layer of debris in their home.

Hoarding, not to be confused with Warren G. Harding, is no joke. It's also a perennial favorite topic for folks who make documentaries. Here's what got the Lemming started with this post:

It's Not the Mice, It's Not the Poop: It's the Hantavirus

"Hoarding: Deadly Mice Dangers"
HowStuffWorks Videos "Compulsive Hoarders Videos," The Learning Channel
video (2:02)

The playlist has three more videos:

• Hoarding: Hoarding Denial
  (01:48)
• Hoarding: No Space for a Shower
  (01:23)
• Hoarding: Stacks Up to the Ceiling
  (02:00)
  

Letting so much clutter collect isn't a good idea.

Hoarding is Not Collecting

"Hoarding"
"Definition"
Mayo Clinic staff, MayoClinic.com

"Hoarding

"Hoarding is the excessive collection of items, along with the inability to discard them. Hoarding often creates such cramped living conditions that homes may be filled to capacity, with only narrow pathways winding through stacks of clutter. Some people also collect animals, keeping dozens or hundreds of pets often in unsanitary conditions.

"Hoarding, also called compulsive hoarding and compulsive hoarding syndrome, may be a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). But many people who hoard don't have other OCD-related symptoms.

"People who hoard often don't see it as a problem, making treatment challenging. But intensive treatment can help people who hoard understand their compulsions and live safer, more enjoyable lives."

There's more at the MayoClinic.com website, starting with "Symptoms," and "Causes" (basically, 'we don't know'). Later, there's a long 'to do' list under "Preparing for your appointment." The bottom line is that hoarding is a problem: and a person can do something about it.

By the way, the Lemming was glad to see that MayoClinic.com said, "hoarding is not collecting," and described the differences. The Lemming is a bit of a packrat collector. Despite what some disciples of Martha Stewart may believe, obsessively throwing out anything more than a year old isn't necessarily a sign of good taste.

And that's another topic.

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• "A Touching Bit of Research: Tactile Sense and Decision-Making"
  (June 28, 2010)
• "Another Face Transplant: News, Video, and Opinion"
  (April 25, 2010)
• "Music, Language, and Workarounds for (Some) Stroke Victims"
  (March 11, 2010)
• "Have a Paranoid Valentine's Day?"
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More:

• "Hoarding"
  MayoClinic.com