Hoarding is a clinical syndrome that affects millions of people in the United States. This disorder can have devastating consequences not only for the individual struggling with this condition, but also for those close to them and the community. Clutter in the homes of people with hoarding problems is extremely disorganized and results in unhealthy and dangerous living conditions. Individuals with compulsive hoarding problems show a lack of awareness of the severity of their behavior. They deny the problem, resist the help they are offered, and fail to complete treatments. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Typically, the cause of hoarding is difficult to understand. However, underlying causes appear to include family history, genetic tendency, and environmental factors such as traumatic life events. Reports indicate that hoarders are more likely to have first-degree relatives with hoarding symptoms (Walter & Zsuzsa, 2007). A study of a large number of twins (N = 5,022) showed that hoarding is highly prevalent and heritable (Iervolino et al., 2009). From these findings, it is reasonable to believe that children inherit, along with their parents' genes, their parents and the places where they live. It is not surprising that family upbringing greatly influences an individual's personality. Children who live with one or more parents with hoarding behaviors are more likely to become hoarders themselves. Compulsive Hoarding Compulsive hoarding has been defined as the acquisition and failure to dispose of possessions that appear useless or of limited value (Frost & Hartl, 1996). Hoarding occurs in approximately one-quarter to one-third of all cases of OCD (Frost & Hartl, 1996). Compulsive buying is more frequent among people who hoard than among those who control (Frost et al., 1998). Symptoms: inability to throw things away, anxiety when trying to throw something away, difficulty organizing a certain area, inability to decide where to put things. ;Stressed about some possessions that need to be thrown away;Does not like someone touching certain things;Obsessive about needing an item that they are throwing away;Inactive social life, financial problems, difficulties, family and love life and health risks. Treatment Psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, is the main treatment. Cognitive behavioral therapy is the most common form of psychotherapy used to treat hoarding disorder. Try finding a therapist or other mental health professional with experience treating hoarding disorder. As part of cognitive behavioral therapy, you can: Keep in mind: This is just one example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Learn to identify and challenge thoughts and beliefs related to acquiring and saving items; learn to resist the urge to acquire more items; learn to organize and classify possessions to help you decide which ones to discard; improve your decision making and coping skills; Tidying up the house during home visits by a therapist or professional organizer; Learn to reduce isolation and increase social engagement with more meaningful activities; Learn ways to increase motivation to change; Participate in family or group therapy; Perform periodic visits or ongoing treatment to help you maintain healthy habits; treatment often involves routine assistance from family, friends, and agencies to help remove the.