BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN SIDE OF HOARDING

Transcription

1 BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN SIDE OF HOARDING STEVEN E. PITT, D.O. ERIN M. NELSON, PSY.D. PETSMART CHARITIES FELINE FORUM SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2009 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS PROGRAM OVERVIEW WHAT IS HOARDING? WHO HOARDS? WHAT DOES HOARDING LOOK LIKE? WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN? HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN? HOARDING AND MENTAL ILNESS WHAT CAN BE DONE? WHAT IS HOARDING? 1

2 HOARDING VS. COLLECTING HOARDING IS NOT THE SAME AS COLLECTING HOARDING IS THE PATHOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION OF THINGS AND/OR ANIMALS UNTIL THEY INTERFERE WITH ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING CARE OF HOME HEALTH FAMILY WORK SOCIAL ACTIVITIES HOARDING VS. COLLECTING - 2 NOT A BUSINESS (SUCH AS BREEDING) DISTINCTION BETWEEN ADEQUATE AND SUB- OPTIMAL CARE ABSENCE OF AWARENESS OF SUB-OPTIMAL CARE DEFINING ANIMAL HOARDING MORE THAN THE TYPICAL NUMBER OF COMPANION ANIMALS INABILITY TO PROVIDE EVEN MINIMAL STANDARDS OF NUTRITION, SANITATION, SHELTER, AND VETERINARY CARE, WITH NEGLECT OFTEN RESULTING IN STARVATION, ILLNESS, AND DEATH DENIAL OF THE INABILITY TO PROVIDE MINIMUM CARE AND THE IMPACT OF THAT FAILURE ON THE ANIMALS, THE HOUSEHOLD, AND HUMAN OCCUPANTS OF THE DWELLING --HOARDING OF ANIMALS RESEARCH CONSORTIUM TUFTS UNIVERSITY 2

3 WHO HOARDS? DEMOGRAPHICS PREDOMINATELY FEMALE UNMARRIED (SINGLE, DIVORCED OR WIDOWED) 60 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER LIVES ALONE DEMOGRAPHICS - 2 HOWEVER HOARDING CASES HAVE BEEN DOCUMENTED IN PEOPLE OF ALL AGES, RACES, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, PROFESSIONAL AND BLUE COLLAR OCCUPATIONS EVEN SOME ANIMAL WELFARE AND MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS 3

4 HOARDERS TEND TO BELIEVE THEY ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN CARE FOR THEIR ANIMALS DEMONSTRATE AN INABILITY TO RECOGNIZE THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG PERSONALIZE THEIR PETS AND VIEW THEMSELVES AS RESCUERS FOCUS ON THE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE THEY BELIEVE THEY RECEIVE FROM THE ANIMALS HOARDERS TEND TO - 2 THE CHARACTERSTIC VIRTUALLY ALL HOARDERS SHARE IS (ALTHOUGH TO VARYING DEGREES) IS A PATTERN AND PRACTICE OF AVOIDING AUTHORITY FOR FEAR OF INTERVENTION HOARDERS TEND TO - 3 REPEAT THE BEHAVIOR UNFORTUNATELY THE RECIDIVISM RATES FOR HOARDING IS EXTREMELY HIGH INDIVIDUALS WHO HOARD ANIMALS ARE LIKELY TO HOARD AGAIN DESPITE BEING CAUGHT AND/OR PROSECUTED 4

5 WHAT DOES HOARDING LOOK LIKE? WHO/WHAT GETS HOARDED? CATS ARE THE MOST COMMON ANIMAL TO BE HOARDED OVERALL DOGS ARE SECOND MOST COMMON OVERALL AND MOST COMMON FOR MALE HOARDERS WHO/WHAT GETS HOARDED? - 2 HORSES/FARM ANIMALS BIRDS RABBITS GUINEA PIGS 5

6 WHO/WHAT GETS HOARDED? - 3 CAN BE ANY TYPE OF ANIMAL HOARDERS MAY HAVE MORE THAN ONE SPECIES PRESENT, BUT COMMONLY FOCUS PRIMARILY ON ONE TYPE OF ANIMAL HOARDING: THE NUMBERS UP TO A QUARTER MILLION ANIMALS - 250,000 /YEAR - ARE VICTIMS. ESTIMATED INCIDENCE OF ROUGHLY CASES ANNUALLY ACROSS THE US CASES INCLUDE ANIMALS NUMBERING UP TO 1000 IN A SINGLE HOUSEHOLD --HOARDING OF ANIMALS RESEARCH CONSORTIUM TUFTS UNIVERSITY COMMON CONDITIONS IN THE HOME OF A HOARDER DEAD AND/OR SICK ANIMALS GENERAL FILTH FECES/URINE THROUGHOUT LIVING SPACE 6

7 COMMON CONDITIONS IN THE HOME OF A HOARDER - 2 COMMONLY THE HOARDER S BED IS SOILED WITH ANIMAL EXCREMENT (YES, THAT IS A PICTURE OF SOMEONE S BED) COMMON CONDITIONS IN THE HOME OF A HOARDER - 3 UNSANITARY AND/OR UNSAFE CONDITIONS FOR ANIMALS AND HUMANS ABSENCE OF ADEQUATE MEDICAL CARE FAILURE TO ACT COMMON CONDITIONS IN THE HOME OF A HOARDER - 4 EFFORTS TO EVADE DETECTION FAILURE TO RECOGNIZE OR ACKNOWLEDGE THE GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION 7

8 WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN? ANIMAL HOARDING TYPOLOGY OVERWHELMED CARE GIVER INITIALLY ABLE TO CARE FOR ANIMALS INCREASINGLY OVERWHELMED DEVELOPS INTO A PATTERN OF NEGLECT ANIMAL HOARDING TYPOLOGY - 2 RESCUE HOARDER ROOTED IN NARCISSITIC BELIEF THINK THAT THAT THEY ARE THE ONLY ONE ABLE TO CARE FOR THE ANIMALS GRATIFIED BY RESCUE FANTASY 8

9 ANIMAL HOARDING TYPOLOGY - 3 EXPLOITER AQUIRE ANIMALS TO FULFILL OWN NEEDS MORE OVERT THAN OTHER TYPES OF GRATIFICATION HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN? THEORETICAL MODES/EXPLANATIONS FOR HOARDING BEHAVIOR ADDICTIONS MODEL ENGAGE IN A PRACTICE THAT IS HABIT FORMING PSYCHOLOGICALLY OR PHYSIOLOGICALLY REINIFORCED AND SUSTAINED 9

10 INFORMATION-PROCESSING MODEL DEFICITS IN DECISION-MAKING ABILITIES DIFFICULTY WEIGHING AND ORGANIZING INFORMATION INABILITY TO MANAGE TASKS EASILY OVERWHELMED ATTACHMENT DISORDER MODEL RAISED IN AN ABUSIVE/CHAOTIC ENVIRONMENT DIFFICULTY CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE ANIMALS SERVE AS PRIMARY SOURCE OF STABILITY AND COMFORT DELUSIONAL DISORDER MODEL IMPAIRMENT IN REALITY TESTING INABILITY TO RECOGNIZE DANGER TO ANIMALS DESPITE COMPELLING EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY PARANOIA RELATED TO OFFICIALS WHO ARE ACTUALLY TRYING TO HELP 10

11 HOARDING & MENTAL ILLNESS HOARDING & MENTAL ILLNESS OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE PERSONALITY DISORDER HOARDING & MENTAL ILLNESS - 2 DEMENTIA DELUSIONAL DISORDER 11

12 HOARDING & MENTAL ILLNESS - 3 HOARDING IS A SYMPTOM OF SOME FORMS OF MENTAL ILLNESS HOARDING NOT A DIAGNOSIS WHAT CAN BE DONE? TREATMENT OPTIONS VERY LITTLE RESEARCH EXISTS RE: TREATMENT MODAILITIES FOR ANIMAL HOARDING BEHAVIORS FOCUS ON COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL OR PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS LONG-TERM PSYCHOTHERAPY MAY BE INDICATED IN CASES OF EXTREME ATTACHMENT DISORDER 12

13 RESOURCES & INFORMATION HOARDING OF ANIMALS RESEARCH CONSORTIUM (HARC) A GROUP OF RESEARCHERS WHO COLLABORATED FROM ASSEMBLED THE RESOURCES ON THEIR WEBSITE TO INCREASE AWARENESS ABOUT A COMPLEX DISORDER WHICH HAS UNTIL RECENTLY NOT RECEIVED SERIOUS ATTENTION BY MEDICAL, MENTAL HEALTH, AND PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS. STEVEN PITT & ASSOCIATES 13

14 THANK YOU! 14