About this item
What possesses someone to save every scrap of paper that’s ever come into his home? What compulsions drive a woman like Irene, whose hoarding cost her her marriage? Or Ralph, whose imagined uses for castoff items like leaky old buckets almost lost him his house? Or Jerry and Alvin, wealthy twin bachelors who filled up matching luxury apartments with countless pieces of fine art, not even leaving themselves room to sleep? Randy Frost and Gail Steketee were the first to study hoarding when they began their work a decade ago; they expected to find a few sufferers but ended up treating hundreds of patients and fielding thousands of calls from the families of others. Now they explore the compulsion through a series of compelling case studies in the vein of Oliver Sacks.
About the Author
Randy Frost received his PhD from the University of Kansas and is currently the Harold and Elsa Israel Professor of Psychology at Smith College in Massachusetts. He has published numerous scientific articles on OCD, hoarding, and perfectionism, and his work has been funded by the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation and the National Institute of Mental Health. His newest book is called Stuff: Compulsive hoarding and the meaning of things. Frost's other books include Compulsive Hoarding and Acquiring: Therapist Guide and an accompanying workbook, as well as Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding.
