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wMonday, May 01, 2006 |
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Damn! I sure got stuck on some NY Times articles today! I'm sure that's what I get for not logging on all weekend...
So, here's me:
A Clue to the Hoarder's Compulsion for Clutter
Scientists have long been puzzled by pathological hoarding, which afflicts up to 40 percent of the seven million to eight million Americans with obsessive compulsive disorder. As a group, studies show excessive hoarders fill their houses with accumulations of junk, usually newspapers, bags of old clothing and lists.
Compulsive hoarders, compared with people with other compulsive symptoms, had decreased activity in the anterior cingulate, a brain structure involved in decision making and problem solving. The hoarders also showed less activation than the healthy subjects in the posterior cingulate, an area involved in spatial orientation, memory, and emotion.
Dr. Saxena said the study might explain why hoarders are so attached to their possessions. Deciding what to keep and what to discard is often a struggle. They are tormented by fears of throwing out items that may be needed one day. Often, the objects are kept in the open, stacked to the ceiling in the living room, the kitchen or even on the bed, Dr. Saxena said. That may result from the lower activity levels in brain regions that govern memory and spatial orientation.
''It may have to do with the difficulty they have in their visual spatial processing,'' he said. ''And they may have some trouble remembering where things are and feel that they need to have them in sight.''
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So damn, what's a girl to do?
posted by
zenbetty at 3:46 PM
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