Now a new source of help is at hand. Last week the first book of its kind was published–“Overcoming Compulsive Hoarding” by psychologist Fugen Neziroglu and colleagues at the Bio-Behavioral Institute in Great Neck, N.Y. The book gives a step-by-step approach. (Begin by organizing rather than tossing, and divide the cleanup into manageable tasks.) Neziroglu has no illusions that the book alone will cure people. But it can help sufferers make inroads and may open them to the idea of formal treatment.
It couldn’t be more timely. A dozen cities have organized hoarding task forces, and workshops are springing up nationwide. “The problem has escalated in modern society, because there’s just so much stuff out there,” says Beth Johnson, founder of the online Clutter Workshop. Her mantra: “Fewer things mean more freedom.” Let freedom ring.
