Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding

David F. Tolin · Randy O. Frost · Gail Steketee

Feb 2007 · Oxford University Press

About this ebook

Buried in Treasures outlines a scientifically-based and effective program for helping compulsive hoarders dig their way out of the clutter and chaos of their homes. Discover the reasons for your problems with acquiring, saving, and hoarding, and learn new ways of thinking about your possessions so you can accurately identify those things you really need and those you can do without. Learn to recognize the "bad guys" that maintain your hoarding behavior and meet the "good guys" who will motivate you and put you on the path to change. Features of this book include: -Self-assessments to determine the severity of the problem -Tips and tools for organizing your possessions and filing your paperwork -Strategies for changing unhelpful beliefs about your possessions -Behavioral experiments to reduce your fear of anxiety and fear of discarding.

About the author

David F. Tolin, Ph.D. is the founder and Director of the Anxiety Disorders Center at The Institute of Living, in Hartford, Connecticut. A leading authority on compulsive disorders, he has been interviewed for The New York Times and the Associated Press, and has been a recurrent guest on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Randy O. Frost, Ph.D. is the Harold Edward and Elsa Siipola Israel Professor of Psychology at Smith College. He is co-editor of the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation (OCF) website on hoarding. The leading authority on compulsive hoarding, he has been interviewed for The New York Times, Newsweek, and National Public Radio, and has appeared on ABC 20/20 Downtown, Good Morning America, and Dateline. Gail Steketee, Ph.D. is Professor at the Boston University School of Social Work. Her recent research, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, focuses on diagnostic and personality aspects of compulsive hoarding and on effective treatments. She and Dr. Frost have written the manual for mental health clinicians who treat hoarding problems.