Dirty Secret (37 page)

Grisham, Jessica R., Gail Steketee, and Randy O. Frost. “Interpersonal Problems and Emotional Intelligence in Compulsive Hoarding.”
Depression and Anxiety,
25 (2008): 63–71.

Hartl, Tamara L., Shannon R. Duffany, George J. Allen, Gail Steketee, and Randy O. Frost. “Relationships Among Compulsive Hoarding, Trauma, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.”
Behaviour Research and Therapy,
43 (2005): 269–276.

Hartl, Tamara L., Randy O. Frost, George J. Allen, Thilo Deckersbach, Gail Steketee, Shannon R. Duffany, and Cary R. Savage. “Actual and Perceived Memory Deficits in
Individuals with Compulsive Hoarding.”
Depression and Anxiety,
20 (2004): 59–69.

Iervolino, Alessandra C., Nader Perroud, Miguel Angel Fullana, Michel Guipponi, Lynn Cherkas, David A. Collier, and David Mataix-Cols. “Prevalence and Heritability of Compulsive Hoarding: A Twin Study.”
American Journal of Psychiatry,
166:10 (October 2009): 1156–1161.

Kellett, Stephen, Rebecca Greenhalgh, Nigel Beail, and Nicola Ridgway. “Compulsive Hoarding: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis.”
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy,
38 (2010) 141–155.

Leckman, James F., and Michael H. Bloch. “A Developmental and Evolutionary Perspective on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Whence and Whither Compulsive Hoarding?”
American Journal of Psychiatry,
165:10 (October 2008): 1229–1233.

Lee, Royce. “Childhood Trauma and Personality Disorder: Toward a Biological Model.”
Current Psychiatry Reports,
8 (2006): 43–52.

Mueller, Astrid, James E. Mitchell, Ross D. Crosby, Heide Glaesmer, and Martina de Zwaan. “The Prevalence of Compulsive Hoarding and its Association with Compulsive Buying in a German Population-Based Sample.”
Behaviour Research and Therapy,
47 (2009): 705–709.

Muroff, Jordana, Gail Steketee, Jessica Rasmussen, Amanda Gibson, Christiana Bratiotis, and Cristina Sorrentino. “Group Cognitive and Behavioral Treatment for Compulsive Hoarding: A Preliminary Trial.”
Depression and Anxiety,
26 (2009): 634–640.

O'Connor, Anahad. “A Clue to the Hoarder's Compulsion for Clutter.”
New York Times,
June 1, 2004.

Parker-Pope, Tara. “A Clutter Too Deep for Mere Bins and Shelves.” www.nytimes.com, January 1, 2008.

Patronek, Gary J., and Jane N. Nathanson. “A Theoretical Perspective to Inform Assessment and Treatment Strategies for Animal Hoarders.”
Clinical Psychology Review,
29 (2009): 274–281.

Pollak, Seth D., and Pawan Sinha. “Effects of Early Experience on Children's Recognition of Facial Displays of Emotion.”
Developmental Psychology,
38:5 (2002): 784–791.

Preston, Stephanie D., Jordana R. Muroff, and Steven M. Wengrovitz. “Investigating the Mechanisms of Hoarding from an Experimental Perspective.”
Depression and Anxiety,
26 (2009): 425–437.

Samuels, Jack F., et al. “Sex-Specific Clinical Correlates of Hoarding in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.”
Behaviour Research and Therapy,
46 (2008): 1040–1046.

Saxena, Sanjaya, Arthur L. Brody, Karron M. Maidment, Erlyn C. Smith, Narineh Zohrabi, Elyse Katz, Stephanie K. Baker, and Lewis R. Baxter, Jr. “Cerebral Glucose Metabolism in Obsessive-Compulsive Hoarding.”
American Journal of Psychiatry,
161:6 (June 2004): 1038–1048.

Saxena, Sanjaya. “Is Compulsive Hoarding a Genetically and Neurobiologically Discrete Syndrome? Implications for Diagnostic Classification.”
American Journal of Psychiatry,
164:3 (March 2007): 380–384.

Saxena, Sanjaya. “Recent Advances in Compulsive Hoarding.”
Current Psychiatry Reports,
10 (2008): 297–303.

Steketee, Gail, and Randy Frost. “Compulsive Hoarding: Current Status of the Research.”
Clinical Psychology Review,
23 (2003): 905–927.

Timpano, Kiara R., Julia D. Buckner, J. Anthony Richey, Dennis L. Murphy, and Norman B. Schmidt. “Exploration of
Anxiety Sensitivity and Distress Tolerance as Vulnerability Factors for Hoarding Behaviors.”
Depression and Anxiety,
26 (2009): 343–353.

Tolin, David F, Kristen E. Fitch, Randy O. Frost, and Gail Steketee. “Family Informants' Perceptions of Insight in Compulsive Hoarding.”
Cognitive Therapy and Research,
34 (2010): 69–81.

Tolin, David F., Randy O. Frost, and Gail Steketee. “An Open Trial of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Compulsive Hoarding.”
Behaviour Research and Therapy,
45:7 (July 2007): 1461–1470.

Turton, Shaun. “Melbourne Firefighters Call for Action on Hoarding.”
Moreland Leader,
October 2, 2009.

Wincze, Jeffrey P., Gail Steketee, and Randy O. Frost. “Categorization in Compulsive Hoarding.”
Behaviour Research and Therapy,
45 (2007): 63–72.

BOOKS

Arluke, Arnold, and Celeste Killeen.
Inside Animal Hoarding: The Case of Barbara Erickson and her 552 Dogs.
West Lafayette, Ind.: Purdue University Press, 2009.

Frost, Randy O., and Gail Steketee.
Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things.
New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2010.

Kant, Jared, Martin Franklin, and Linda Wasmer Andrews.
The Thought That Counts: A Firsthand Account of One Teenager's Experience with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.

King, William Davies.
Collections of Nothing.
Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 2009.

Kreger, Randi.
The Essential Family Guide to Borderline Personality Disorder: New Tools and Techniques to Stop Walking on Eggshells.
Center City, Minn.: Hazelden, 2008.

Lawson, Christine Ann.
Understanding the Borderline Mother: Helping Her Children Transcend the Intense, Unpredictable, and Volatile Relationship.
Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2004.

Lehrer, Jonah.
How We Decide.
New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2009.

Muensterberger, Werner.
Collecting: An Unruly Passion.
New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 1995.

Nathiel, Susan.
Daughters of Madness: Growing Up and Older with a Mentally Ill Mother.
Santa Barbara, Calif.: Praeger, 2007.

Neziroglu, Fugen, Jerome Bubrick, and Jose Yaryura-Tobias.
Overcoming Compulsive Hoarding: Why You Save and How You Can Stop.
Oakland, Calif.: New Harbinger Publications, 2004.

Osborn, Ian.
Tormenting Thoughts and Secret Rituals: The Hidden Epidemic of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
New York: Dell Publishing Company, 1999.

Pascoe, Judith.
The Hummingbird Cabinet: A Rare and Curious History of Romantic Collectors.
Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 2006.

Rapoport, Judith.
The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing: The Experience and Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
New York: Penguin, 1991.

Solomon, Andrew.
The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.

Tolin, David F., Randy O. Frost, and Gail Steketee.
Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.

In
Dirty Secret: A Daughter Comes Clean About Her Mother's Compulsive Hoarding
, Jessie Sholl offers her readers a vivid look into the life of a hoarder's family. Her mother's curious disease, said to affect millions of Americans, causes Jessie to feel shame, embarrassment, and an unending desire to “cure” something she cannot fix. Through her mother's battles with compulsive hoarding and colon cancer, her father's serious heart attack, and a particularly stubborn scabies infestation, Jessie Sholl weaves together a new picture of a previously misunderstood disorder.

1. “Maybe this time it'll work. Maybe this time it'll stay clean”
(page 10). Throughout the memoir, Jessie's hopes are repeatedly raised and dashed as she tries to “fix” her mother's illness. Find a moment in the book in which Jessie is particularly hopeful, and one in which she is plagued by hopelessness. What feelings does Jessie associate with each instance?

2. Though Helen and Jessie have always had a tumultuous relationship, Jessie quickly makes her way to Minneapolis when she finds out about her mother's cancer. What does this say about their mother/daughter relationship? How does it relate to any mother/daughter relationships you've been personally involved in?

3. “Clearly, Roger's death had triggered my mother's true hoarding. And what disturbed me most was that she couldn't even tell” (page 16). Helen acknowledges that she is a hoarder, yet Jessie suspects she does not see the full extent of her disorder. Do you think there are moments when Helen feels remorse for her actions? If so, cite specific examples and discuss what may have triggered Helen's awareness.

4. “Also, like many hoarders, my mother reports feeling safer when she's surrounded by her possessions . . .” (page 27). Has there ever been a material object that you felt close to, one that made you feel safe? Discuss your feelings with the group. Why do you think this particular object drew so much of your attention? Can you imagine feeling that way about
all
of your material possessions, the way Helen does in the book?

5. What does each person in
Dirty Secret
fear the most? How do these fears affect his or her life, and do you think anyone has overcome his or her fear by the end of the book? If so, how?

6. One of the symptoms of compulsive hoarding is extreme indecision, a symptom Helen suffers from continuously
throughout the book. How do you make difficult decisions? Discuss your decision-making tactics with the group. Has there ever been a time when you had difficulty making an important decision? How did you feel?

7. Sandy and Helen have some obvious differences, but are there any ways in which they are similar? Discuss with your group to see if you can find any hidden similarities.

8. “I liked having rules. I liked knowing that someone was aware of my whereabouts, that an adult was paying attention” (page 42). Teenage rebelliousness is common in our society, yet Jessie admits to craving structure. How do you reconcile her simultaneous desires to rebel as well as to adhere to a set of rules?

9. According to Jessie, she first became rebellious when she turned thirteen. To what extent do you think her rebellion was a reaction to her mother's disorder? To what extent do you think it was natural teenage inclination?

10. “There's no demonstrable link between hoarding and early material deprivation. But there is a link between hoarding and
emotional
deprivation. . . . Her cold and chaotic childhood home was the perfect breeding ground for the mental illness that would end up affecting us all” (page 81). Look back on the passages in which Helen's childhood is depicted. Did they change the way you felt about Helen? If so, how?

11. “I get a thrill each time I discard something. Getting rid of things is liberating. It's invigorating. It's easy” (page 150). Do you think that Jessie's need to throw things away is a reaction to her mother's disorder? Discuss how your parents' actions when you were a child affected your behavior today; in what way does your
behavior mirror or reject your parents' behaviors?

12. When Jessie and David's potential subletter calls their apartment “dirty,” Jessie has a very strong reaction. Why do you think this was the case?

13. “I thought she'd finally understood the effect her behavior has had on me. I thought she even felt bad about it. I was wrong” (page 270). To what extent do you think Helen is aware of the pain she causes others, particularly Jessie? Are there moments in the book in which Helen is more acutely aware of her actions and their repercussions?

14. “And then I recognize it: Like stumbling upon the remains of a village buried by lava, the evidence of my last cleanup attempt lives on underneath. . . .” (pages 13–14). Why do you think Jessie continues to clean her mother's house after numerous failed attempts? In the end, what is it that finally causes Jessie to separate herself from the house for good . . . at least, for now?

15. Toward the end of the book, Jessie remembers old advice she picked up during her mother's time at The Club: “You can't change anyone else. You can only change yourself” (page 299). After numerous attempts, do you think Jessie is successful in any way in changing her mother? Similarly, what changes do you see in Jessie over the course of the book?

16. While hoarding is a specific disease, does it remind you of other illnesses such as alcoholism or drug addiction? Do Helen and Jessie's struggles seem similar to those in a parent-child relationship when the parent has an alcohol or drug problem? In what ways are their struggles unique because of Helen's hoarding?