A Cluttered Mind
By Susan Fadem

“It’s sad. Hoarding really affects the person’s self-esteem, more than it should,” said Tim Grove, Ph.D., a licensed counseling psychologist. “There are lots of disorders a person can have, but with something like hoarding, they feel almost as if they’re doing something immoral. It’s not like if you have cancer or multiple sclerosis, which are more acceptable diseases.”

Grove, an independent contractor, works at St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute and at an agency in Columbia, Mo. With therapy, support groups and medication, he said, “most hoarders get better, and some people get quite a bit better.”...