Compulsive Hoarding: Disorder, Famous Cases, and Treatment

Introduction to Compulsive Hoarding

For several years, hoarding was an out-of-sight disorder that received very little research attention. Almost no formal studies were conducted on hoarding in the 1980s. However, since the early 1990s, research scientists, psychologists, and clinicians have shown a dramatic increase in interest in the subject. Awareness of hoarding has also grown due to increased media exposure. Sufferers, family members, and human service workers who regularly deal with compulsive hoarding disorder have likewise become more aware of the problem and its solutions (Steinfatt, 2010).

Compulsive hoarding can be described as the acquisition of, and failure to discard, large quantities of goods or belongings. This kind of obsessive behavior is often linked with considerable physical health risks, functional impairment, and financial difficulties. No extensive empirical investigation has been conducted to examine these destructive effects in full, although there are clear indications that hoarding has a negative and damaging influence on people living with or near someone with a hoarding problem (Tolin, Frost, Steketee, & Fitch, 2008).

Very little attention has been given to the meaning and value of possessions in everyday life. In 1978, Furby researched the importance of possessions and found that two motivations drive people to collect things. The first is the need to fulfill a desire or purpose through the possession of objects — known as instrumental saving. The second is sentimental saving, in which the collector regards possessions as an extension of the self. Furby concluded that "control" is the central factor that leads a person to accumulate objects in large quantities. People collect objects because they want to fulfill a desire through something or maintain control over its use. The instrumental motivation is especially strong when the availability of an object in a time of need is uncertain. Furby suggested that people acquire things so that they are never left without something they need (Frost & Gross, 1993).

Hoarding is a unique case of acquisition behavior. It involves obtaining unimportant or useless objects and failing to discard them. In 1947, Fromm suggested that acquiring things is a central aspect of individual character. He described people with "hoarding orientations" as obsessive, introverted, doubtful, isolated, overly anxious, and excessively orderly. Some theories consider compulsive hoarding a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (Frost & Gross, 1993).

In 1940, Bender and Schilder described hoarding as a warning sign of impulsiveness and a precursor to compulsive behavior in children. In 1973, Salzman proposed that people with obsessional tendencies collect things to gain control over their environment. Adams, in the same year, studied 49 obsessive children and concluded that those with obsessions had an inclination to hoard, whereas children who were not obsessed but had experienced material deprivation also tended to accumulate objects in large quantities (Frost & Gross, 1993).

In 1988, the most extensive account of hoarding and associated behaviors was provided by Warren and Ostrom. Their observations were based on personal experience and on interviews they conducted with students, colleagues, and relatives. According to them, the majority of people gave four reasons to justify excessive saving: (1) they will need the object at some point in the future; (2) the object is too good to throw away; (3) the object holds monetary value and will continue to do so; and (4) the object holds sentimental value and cannot be replaced (Frost & Gross, 1993).

Significant disability and poor overall functioning have been observed in compulsive hoarding patients. Considerably higher levels of family, social, and work-related disability were found in OCD patients who hoard, compared with non-hoarding OCD patients, who do not show the same degree of functional impairment (Sanjaya, Ayers, Maidment, Vapnik, Wetherell, & Bystritsky, 2011).

In short, obsessive hoarding should never be confused with ordinary collecting. It is the accumulation of objects that have little or no value, driven by the belief that they might prove useful or valuable someday — to the hoarder or to someone else. One of the most striking examples of this mindset is the case of the Collyer Brothers. Langley Collyer held on to years' worth of newspapers so that his blind brother, Homer, could read them if he ever regained his sight. The fear of discarding things — known as disposophobia — is often called "Collyer Brothers Syndrome" (Bobb, 2009).

What a Hoarder's Home Looks Like

For a hoarder, saving items and objects represents security and a substitute for close relationships. It is the isolation and intense unconventional behavior that makes the life and dwelling of a hoarder so difficult (Bobb, 2009).

Piles of trash, stacks of newspapers, and enormous clutter are common sights in the home of a hoarder. The poor condition of the rooms makes it impossible for sufferers to carry out daily activities including bathing, eating, and sleeping. This results in tasks left undone and damage to physical health. Inviting guests to such a place is out of the question. It is difficult to understand how a person can choose to live in such conditions, plainly buried in junk (Layton, 2011). The houses of compulsive savers appear to have been turned upside down, and it is a notable fact that many sufferers rarely use or even look at the objects they have collected. The only thing that keeps them satisfied is having the things accumulated around them "just in case" (Penzel, 2011).

It does not happen overnight. It takes years for a sufferer to fill a home with accumulated possessions. The issue is not one of cleanliness but of mindset — it is exceedingly important to change the thinking of a hoarder for whom none of the collected objects is considered trash (Layton, 2011).

Hoarders tend to accumulate a wide variety of objects, including stationery (pens, pencils, etc.), rubber bands, old greeting cards, empty boxes, lists, plastic containers, newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, junk mail, old appliances, obsolete books, and even labels, string, bottles, and bottle caps. In the most severe cases, items such as old cigarette butts, used aluminum foil, paper towels, empty matchboxes, feathers, fur, used tissues, hair, and useless paper cups have been found in hoarders' homes. Several obsessive hoarders also search through other people's trash for anything that appears valuable or repairable. Uncontrollable savers accumulate objects in such large amounts that they create storage problems, fire hazards, or serious health risks (Penzel, 2011).

Famous Hoarders: Case Studies

The Collyer Brothers

Langley and Homer Collyer — famously known as "The Collyer Brothers" — were born in New York City into a prosperous family. The hoarding disorder associated with the fear of discarding objects is named "Collyer Brothers Syndrome" in their honor (Steinfatt, 2010). The pair is also known as the "Hermits of Harlem," having filled their Fifth Avenue home with possessions, newspapers, and plain junk. More than 130 tons of material was removed from their house after their deaths in 1947. The auctioned items fetched only $1,800.

Their father worked as a gynecologist and their mother as an opera singer (Steinfatt, 2010). The brothers lived in their home at 2078 Fifth Avenue with their parents from 1909 to 1918. After their father's death, they lived with their mother until she died in 1929. Her death affected the brothers deeply, and they subsequently confined themselves to an autonomous world of books, pianos, memorabilia, and collectibles for the next eighteen years. They stopped using the telephone in 1917 and disconnected gas and electricity in 1928 — a clear indication that they had deliberately severed all ties with the outside world. Having been targeted by burglars several times, Langley boarded up the windows and installed booby traps throughout the house (Steinfatt, 2010).

Langley was a concert pianist and a Columbia University graduate in engineering. Homer was a lawyer by profession. Yet their hoarding problem had consumed them so completely that they abandoned any fruitful use of their abilities. Langley roamed the streets at night, collecting items in a carton he dragged with a rope, while Homer remained at home, having lost his sight and suffered from arthritis, entirely dependent on his brother.

In 1947, the Collyer Brothers came to public attention when police received a report that something was wrong at their home. Officers found no way in — the doors were blocked by debris and junk. They eventually entered via a second-floor window and discovered Homer's dead body, but could not locate Langley. After three weeks of searching, Langley's body was found inside the house, buried under a collapsed tower of baled newspapers. The police concluded that he had been crushed and suffocated by the toppled stack (Steinfatt, 2010).

In addition to massive quantities of obsolete books, newspapers, and magazines, the home contained unusual items such as a Model T Ford chassis, an X-ray machine, and 14 grand pianos, along with mountains of general trash (Steinfatt, 2010).

Edmund Zygfryd Trebus

Edmund Trebus gained widespread attention when he was featured on the BBC television series A Life of Grime. He was an obsessive hoarder who collected vacuum cleaners, cameras, and any Elvis Presley record he could find (Toothman).

Trebus had endured significant personal tragedy following his father's death and had lived through the invasion of Poland during World War II. After the war, he moved to Britain, married, and became the father of five children. It was after moving to Crouch End that he became a serious collector of useless items. His Victorian house was filled with the spoils of skips and junk shops, which he hunted through in search of spare parts of all kinds. After his children grew up and left home, he began piling even more junk into the house. He used a small cart to push through the streets, collecting building materials. The garden became so overfilled with debris that he needed a ladder to enter and exit. His obsession reduced his living space to a single corner of the kitchen, which he shared with his dog. He also collected wood, motorcycles, washing machines, bicycles, and even retrieved an old synthesizer that had belonged to musician Dave Stewart (Staff, 2002).

Despite his situation, Trebus maintained good relations with his neighbors. However, the state of his home and garden gave those neighbors legitimate cause to complain to the Haringey Council. After several legal threats, Trebus was ordered to remove the hazardous material from his property. He refused, arguing passionately that everything he owned had great value and that nothing he possessed was insignificant. He had numerous verbal confrontations with council workers and police officers who attempted to assist with clearing his home (Staff, 2002).

Eventually, Trebus gave up his fight with the council and spent the last years of his life in a residential care home. He died at the age of 83 (Staff, 2002).

Alexander Kennedy Miller

Alexander Kennedy Miller was known for his passion for cars and aircraft. It was only after his death that people discovered he was a genuine compulsive hoarder who had acquired 50 vehicles over the course of his lifetime — and had never driven a single one (Toothman). He possessed Stutz automobiles, among the most luxurious cars of their time, including Bearcats, Superbearcats, Blackhawks, 32s, and DV16s. When Stutz ceased production, he purchased a Stanley, Locomobiles, and a Springfield Rolls Royce. He concealed the cars from public view inside storage sheds, each vehicle wrapped in burlap (Frank).

His collection extended further still. He owned thousands of gaskets, engines, shock absorbers, radiator caps, and other car accessories. Officials tasked with cataloguing the Miller estate made an additional startling discovery: Mr. and Mrs. Miller had accumulated millions of dollars in gold and silver bullion. Their fortune also included promissory notes and stock market investments. The gold and silver bars and currency were found hidden in metallic cabinets, safes, and even buried underground (Toothman).

Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale

Also known as "Big Edie," Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edith Bouvier Beale ("Little Edie") lived for many years in an East Hampton, New York, estate popularly known as Grey Gardens. The mother and daughter had an obsession with cats, reportedly keeping around 300 at one time. Their home was littered with empty cans and animal waste. The pair came to public notice partly because they were the aunt and cousin of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy (Toothman).

It is worth noting that Edith Beale cannot straightforwardly be classified as a compulsive hoarder in the clinical sense. Her obsession centered on animals rather than inanimate objects, and her situation does not align precisely with the definitions of OCD-driven hoarding discussed earlier in this paper. Nevertheless, her unusual collection and the squalid conditions in which she lived make her a notable figure in any discussion of extreme accumulative behavior.

Bettina Grossman

Bettina Grossman is a prolific and highly creative artist who has spent decades working across multiple media, including paintings, photographs, drawings, sculptures, and films. Although her work has never sold widely, she has never stopped creating. She lives in an apartment in the Chelsea Hotel, which is densely stacked with her accumulated artwork. Her situation became known to the public when filmmaker Sam Bassett befriended her and documented her life in a film. As a result, her art was brought to broader attention and her extensive body of work was catalogued and organized (Toothman).

Tracy Pickering

Tracy Pickering, who lives in Britain, has been described as the country's most extreme hoarder. She is a compulsive hoarder who cannot discard anything — including used tissues, junk mail, old clothing, and magazines. Since 1993, she has saved every newspaper she has received. Her disposophobia began in 1989 when she started keeping used tissues in a large plastic bag. According to her psychiatrist, her disorder was triggered by a flood in 1984 that destroyed all of her possessions. Since then, she has accumulated objects obsessively. She purchased her own home in 1994, and it has remained in a severely cluttered state ever since. Her disorder has caused her husband, Simon, considerable distress, though the couple is working together to seek a solution ("Your Health," 2004, p. 22).

Conclusion

It can be genuinely difficult to deal with a compulsive hoarder. However, the problem can be addressed through the treatments outlined above. A compulsive hoarder should not be threatened, forced, or blamed for their behavior and its social consequences. The life of a hoarder can change if the individual — or their family — approaches the problem with patience, willingness, and sustained effort.

The cases discussed in this paper illustrate how varied and consuming hoarding behavior can be. The Collyer Brothers lived in their home without electricity, gas, or a telephone. Trebus was reduced to a single corner of his kitchen. Miller collected dozens of vehicles he never used. All of these cases demonstrate that compulsive hoarders inhabit a world of their own construction, one from which outside intervention — without genuine personal readiness — rarely brings lasting change. Recognizing hoarding as a genuine psychiatric condition rather than a lifestyle choice is the essential first step toward meaningful and lasting treatment.