Pack rat help, information about packrats, packratism, and people who store items
November 29, 2009 – 6:25 pmThrive Boston Counseling recently published an article about hoarding, in which we published links to organisations and companies that help hoarders, AKA packrats, and families of persons who hoard belongings. Upon releasing the article we received some feedback that–though the clinical term is known as “hoarding”–many people might refer to the problem as Packrat symdrome, pack rat disorder, or packratism. The colloquial term for people who store an abundance of items is, indeed, a pack-rat, so we thought we would create this post.
If you are a ‘pack rat’ or looking to help a family member or friend who is a ‘pack rat’, consider these resources — what your friend may be suffering from is a problem with Hoarding.
“Hoarding in DSM-IV-TR appears only in the description of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. The “differential diagnosis” for obsessive-compulsive personality disorder does state that OCD should be diagnosed when hoarding is “extreme.” Thus, “extreme” hoarding is OCD, and less than “extreme” hoarding is obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. The clinician is further frustrated by being referred to the OCD section but finds the DSM-IV-TR section on OCD totally silent in respect to hoarding. Although DSM-IV-TR accommodates a dual diagnosis of OCD and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, it clearly discourages diagnosing both conditions: “the clinical manifestations of these disorders are quite different” (p. 462).” –Mark Amdur M.D.
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