'Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things' by Randy O. Frost and Gail Steketee delves into the world of hoarding behavior, offering insights into the psychological explanations behind hoarding tendencies. Through case studies and examples, the authors explore the impact of hoarding on individuals and their loved ones, emphasizing the need for understanding and support rather than judgment. provides resources for both hoarders and those affected by hoarding, offering a comprehensive look at the challenges faced by individuals with acquiring habits.
The authors present a thorough examination of hoarding, distinguishing it from OCD and highlighting that it is a common issue that can affect individuals from all walks of life. By sharing personal stories and professional evidence, the book aims to educate readers on the complexities of hoarding behavior and the importance of approaching the issue with empathy and patience.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include discussions of mental health issues, trauma, and the impact of hoarding on individuals and families.
From The Publisher:
What possesses someone to save every scrap of paper that's ever come into his home? What compulsions drive a woman like Irene, whose hoarding cost her her marriage? Or Ralph, whose imagined uses for castoff items like leaky old buckets almost lost him his house? Or Jerry and Alvin, wealthy twin bachelors who filled up matching luxury apartments with countless pieces of fine art, not even leaving themselves room to sleep?
Randy Frost and Gail Steketee were the first to study hoarding when they began their work a decade ago; they expected to find a few sufferers but ended up treating hundreds of patients and fielding thousands of calls from the families of others. Now they explore the compulsion through a series of compelling case studies in the vein of Oliver Sacks.With vivid portraits that show us the traits by which you can identify a hoarder-piles on sofas and beds that make the furniture useless, houses that can be navigated only by following small paths called goat trails, vast piles of paper that the hoarders "churn" but never discard, even collections of animals and garbage-Frost and Steketee explain the causes and outline the often ineffective treatments for the disorder.They also illuminate the pull that possessions exert on all of us. Whether we're savers, collectors, or compulsive cleaners, none of us is free of the impulses that drive hoarders to the extremes in which they live.
For the six million sufferers, their relatives and friends, and all the rest of us with complicated relationships to our things, Stuff answers the question of what happens when our stuff starts to own us.
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About the Author:
DR. GAIL STEKETEE is a professor and acting dean at Boston University in the school of social work.DR. RANDY FROST is a professor of psychology at Smith College and an internationally known expert on obsessive-compulsive disorder and compulsive hoarding, as well as the pathology of perfectionism.
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