‘Hoarding is a serious issue in Bermuda’

Hoarding has featured in a string of primetime television shows and newspaper headlines.

And the issue was recently brought to light in Bermuda during the tragic murder of social worker Ida James.

Prosecutors described Ms James as a ‘hoarder’ saying she kept large sums of cash around her untidy property and was reluctant to let anyone visit her while she was at home.

But the phenomenon of hoarding is more than an obsessive pastime or hobby — it has actually been classified as a psychological disorder.

And experts in Bermuda say that few realize just how serious the condition is on the island.

Clinical psychologist, Shawnee Basden, treats islanders who have been diagnosed with hoarding.

She told the Bermuda Sun: “People in Bermuda do not realize what a serious problem this is because by its nature it is secretive and happens behind closed doors.

“A person who suffers from hoarding will look like a perfectly normal person on the outside — they have a job, a family and everything else.

“In the US statistics suggest that between two and five per cent of the population hoard in the clinical sense.

“Here in Bermuda we are probably higher than that figure because of our culture and because of our lack of storage space.

“We are very protective over each other and what we own.”

She added: “We are more aware of hoarding with older people and it tends to be more men than women as a general rule.

“There is a connection with dementia and a cognitive decline.

“People in Bermuda tend not to come in for psychological treatment — they have family members who try and help them when it becomes a safety issue.

“I am working with a number of patients who hoard in the psychological sense.

“Often you are dealing with a psychological issue like anxiety or depression and you uncover the issue of hoarding.

“People in Bermuda do not see hoarding as a psychological
disorder.”

Ms Basden studied hoarding as part of studies in Boston and visited dozens of people with the condition.

She said: “The difference between a collector and someone who hoards is that a person with a hoard disorder tends to have many different kinds of items and has great difficulty getting rid of them.

“They will give more value to specific kinds of items than other people and this can interfere and disrupt their day to day life.

“A collector tends not to let it interfere with his or her life.

Sanitation issues

“People can keep so much stuff that they may not be able to sleep in their bed or get to a certain part of the house and it can cause sanitation issues.

“Hoarding can also affect people who have suffered traumatic brain injuries.

“The injuries affect their executive functioning and they have problems with organization and doing certain things.”

Patients diagnosed with a hoarding disorder are treated at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute and receive one on one cognitive behavioural therapy sessions with Ms Basden.

She works with patients and their families to help overcome the fear of getting rid of hoarded items.

Ms Basden said: “The cruelest cure is often exposure to the patient’s worst fear and this involves challenging them to throw stuff away.

“But that has to be done with the patient’s knowledge and co-operation.

“Hoarding can manifest itself in many ways, from buying stationary, to collecting toiletries and flyers, and not wanting to throw out old clothes.

“To us it may seem irrational but to someone who hoards they can always rationalize why they keep certain items.

“It can be extremely frustrating to a family member.

“People who hoard have an extreme sense of responsibility for items and think they might need it in the future.

“They can also suffer huge anxiety attacks when throwing out stuff, which in extreme cases can lead to hospitalization.” n

If you or a family member has a problem with hoarding you can contact MAWI on 236 3770.