Pack-Rats Of The World, Unite!

The so-called "Medical Establishment" is trying to suppress our perfectly normal urge to keep everything by branding us with the stigma of suffering a mental disorder:

Compulsive hoarding is defined, in part, by clutter that so overtakes living, dining and sleeping spaces that it harms the person’s quality of life. A compulsive hoarder finds it impossible, even painful, to part with possessions. It’s not clear how many people suffer from compulsive hoarding, but estimates start at about 1.5 million Americans.

Dr. Tolin recently studied compulsive hoarders using brain-scan technology. While in the scanner, hoarders looked at various possessions and made decisions about whether to keep them or throw them away. The items were shredded in front of them, so they knew the decision was irreversible. When a hoarder was making decisions about throwing away items, the researchers saw increased activity in the orbitofrontal cortex, a part of the brain involved in decision-making and planning.

“That part of the brain seemed to be stressed to the max,” Dr. Tolin said. By comparison, people who didn’t hoard showed no extra brain activity.

While hoarders are a minority, many psychologists and organization experts say the rest of us can learn from them. The spectrum from cleanliness to messiness includes large numbers of people who are chronically disorganized and suffering either emotionally, physically or socially. Cognitive behavioral therapy may help: a recent study of hoarders showed that six months’ therapy resulted in a marked decline in clutter in the patient’s living space.

Although chronic disorganization is not a medical diagnosis, therapists and doctors sometimes call on professional organizers to help patients. One of them is Lynne Johnson, a professional organizer from Quincy, Mass., who is president of the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization.

Ms. Johnson explains that some people look at a shelf stacked with coffee mugs and see only mugs. But people with serious disorganization problems might see each one as a unique item — a souvenir from Yellowstone or a treasured gift from Grandma.

Hmph! Personally, I think Ms. Johnson is just afraid to come to terms with her own feeling that perhaps her collection of mugs is somehow inadequate. Come out of the cupboard, Madam!

[Not to spoil the meme of this post, but as an aside I have to say I can't help but shake my head in disbelief that somebody has not only fadged up a gravy-train job title like "professional organizer", but that they've also put together a pseudo-scientific "study group" to legitimize it. Honestly, there are times when I think I ought to chuck the Law and just set myself up as a kind of Consultant Without Portfolio. Sure, I might eventually wind up on the Golgafrincham "B" Ark,*** but in the meantime, I'd be living high on the hog.]

***Spot the reference.