A Conversation for Ailurophilia Gone Bad: A New Mental Illness?
Not necessarily a new mental illness
Deidzoeb Started conversation Jun 22, 2005
Here's an excerpt from PETA website (the org, not the h2g2 staffer):
http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=27
One of the theories about 'Hoarders' is that they suffer from
'obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) characterizes the hoarding of inanimate objects as a symptom of both OCD and OCPD.(16) One study found that more than 77 percent of hoarders’ premises were described as “heavily cluttered” and that an “extensive accumulation” of non-animal-related objects—such as newspapers—was present in nearly 75 percent of the cases.(17)'
I think that would explain why some or most of these people would be legally competent, able to hold down jobs and mostly able to function in society. Just a neurosis that causes one aspect of their lives to go way out of control.
The page also mentions that some hoarders reportedly suffer from dementia.
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Not necessarily a new mental illness
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