Maybe you read the sad story of the woman in Sandy Springs, Georgia who had to be extricated by the Fire Department from her home heaped to the ceiling with stuff. The Atlanta Hoarding Task Force is in touch with city authorities to see if we can be of any support. If you know someone whose health or safety is seriously compromised by clutter, contact the Institute of Challenging Disorganization Organization to reach an hoarding specialist.
http://www.ICD.org

Collector or hoarder?

Many people have collections that occupy a great deal of home space and leisure time, but they differ from hoarders in important ways. For example, they usually enjoy showing off their collections, while hoarders are often embarrassed and do their best to prevent others from seeing what they've accumulated.

What's behind it?

It's unclear where compulsive hoarding comes from; research has shown that it isn't correlated with material or emotional deprivation earlier in life. Psychologists have identified a pattern of cognitive and emotional difficulties that underlie hoarding symptoms. These are as follows:

Indecisiveness and fear of making mistakes. By never choosing to throw anything out and constantly accumulating things "just in case," the hoarder tries to avoid making wrong decisions or having regrets.

Difficulty categorizing. A person who has a hard time sorting objects into categories can find it difficult to decide which drawer something belongs in. For a person who has difficulty distinguishing between valuable and worthless items, keeping old supermarket flyers may seem as sensible as keeping last year's tax return.

Concerns about memory. A hoarder may have unjustified doubts about the reliability of her memory and therefore avoid putting things away for fear of not being able to find them again. Dresser drawers remain empty while clothes pile up on furniture and the floor. Old newspapers and magazines are saved for fear the information in them will be forgotten if they're not kept on hand.

Emotional attachment to objects. A hoarder often comes to see beauty and value in clutter and develops a sentimental attachment to it. This heightens her enthusiasm for acquiring things and reluctance to discard them.

Need for control. The hoarder usually doesn't want anyone else to make decisions about her possessions, so it can be difficult for the family to help.