Professionals shine spotlight on hoarding

 Reality television clearly has capitalized on attention to process addictions such as hoarding, but these topics also are being vetted in more professional settings. Last week in San Francisco, healthcare providers gathered for an international conference on the topic of hoarding and cluttering, an event sponsored by the San Francisco Mental Health Association.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the meeting was scheduled to include a presentation of brain imaging scans on hoarders, documenting abnormalities in areas that govern decision-making and categorization.

San Francisco served as an ideal setting for the International Conference on Hoarding and Cluttering because the city is home to an innovative peer response team in which individuals who have addressed their problem assist others in the community.

Look for more on this topic in our next Process Addictions column here on our website and in the May/June issue of Addiction Professional, in which therapist and author Terrence D. Shulman will discuss the manifestations of compulsive theft, spending and hoarding.