Made famous by popular T.V. shows such as Hoarding: Buried Alive on TLC and Hoarders on A&E, the mental illness known as “hoarding” afflicts nearly four million people in the U.S. and more than fifteen million worldwide, filling the lives and homes of the afflicted (and, often, their loved ones) with clutter. In the latest edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), hoarding will be introduced as a distinct mental disorder for the first time in the history of the manual.  The disorder was previously classified as a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder but will now have its own classification.  “Hoarding disorder” will be defined as “persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their actual value.” Hoarding disorder is characterized by: acquiring and failing to … Read entire article »