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POPSAnimal hoarding:An expert illuminates the psychology behind this behavior Hoarders often have major dysfunction in work, social and daily activities, reduced awareness of surroundings, and impaired ability to form close relationships with people. Contrary to what we originally thought, animal hoarding does not seem to be strongly associated with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and it is not yet defined as an independent psychological condition. Clinical evaluations indicate that it is often associated with a wide variety of psychological disorders, including borderline personality disorder.
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POPSGathering storm The acquiring of and failure to discard seemingly useless possessions, causing significant clutter, distress, and impairment to basic living activities. That's the definition mental health researchers have basically agreed on for compulsive hoarding and cluttering. They also agree that hoarding behaviors cut across ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status, and although the elderly tend to hoard more than the young, they certainly don't have a monopoly. Hoarders can often be identified in suburban areas by the possessions spilling out of their homes, while in cities like San Francisco, they are often concentrated in smaller, concealed dwellings. According to a just-released citywide task force report on hoarding, there are an estimated 12,000 to 25,000 hoarders living in San Francisco.