Resources

OCD, OCPD, & Hoarding

We have an affiliation with the companies whose books and products you see below so that you can link directly to more information about each item and the option of purchase. When you order any products from the links on this page, you receive great products and Minding Your Matters® receives a commission. Please help support this website by using the links provided.

Books
If you feel Buried in Treasures, the book by the same title by David F. Tolin, Randy O. Frost, and Gail Steketee might prove useful. Subtitled as Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding, this book provides information, quizzes, and exercises to assist those who struggle with stuff accumulation. The authors address why people acquire and how to curb the tendency rather than simply methods for “getting rid of things”. Fact Files for Family and Friends are inserted throughout the text to help those in close contact with the “saver”.
Whether it is keeping an item because you don’t want to offend someone or saying “yes” to a task you have neither the desire nor the time to complete, being a people-pleaser affects the organizing process more than many people realize. The Disease to Please by Harriet B. Braiker is a comprehensive book for those who want to cure their people-pleasing ways. She sets the stage by covering people-pleasing mindsets, habits, and feelings. Braiker provides the tools to break people of the disease to please by outlining a detailed 21-day action plan.
If you are looking for a book that mixes personal stories and struggles with medical information, Everything in its place: My trials and triumphs with obsessive compulsive disorder by Marc Summers with Eric Hollander, M.D. is a good book to read. Summers discusses how OCD has affected him at each stage of his life as well as methods he has used to overcome OCD. Hollander adds the medical aspects of OCD as applicable while Summers shares his life experiences.
Are you frustrated because you live with a perfectionist? Dr. David Stoop addresses this topic in Living with a Perfectionist. He addresses how someone becomes a perfectionist, why perfectionism causes such difficulties, and how to counteract perfectionist tendencies. Perfectionists and those who live with them will benefit from this practical book.
If you identify with Martha from the Mary and Martha story in the New Testament, then Martha to the Max: Balanced Living for Perfectionists was written for you. In this humorous yet “to the point” paperback, Debi Stack pokes fun at herself and her “Martha Buddies” for their terribly busy and perfectionist ways. At the same time, she provides practical methods to leave “Martha thinking” behind. This enjoyable book will point any Martha’s in a more Mary direction.
Did you know that first born and only born children tend to have perfectionist tendencies? For greater understanding of the perfectionist trait and how it is affected by birth order, Kevin Leman’s The New Birth Order Book is a resource of interest. Leman spends time both reviewing the seriousness of perfectionism and discussing how to move from perfectionism to excellence.
For people who want to understand the less intensive forms of OCD and OCPD, Shadow Syndromes: The Mild Forms of Major Mental Disorders That Sabotage Us, by John J. Ratey, M.D. and Catherine Johnson, Ph.D. provides applicable information. Weaving together specific case studies with medical information and research, the reader will find a wealth of information on a variety of mental challenges that can impact ones’ ability to function in daily life.
Do you consider yourself or someone you know to be a hoarder? If you have decided to break the hoarding habit, Overcoming Compulsive Hoarding is a “must-read”. Authors Fugen Neziroglu, Ph. D., ABBP, Jerome Bubrick, Ph. D., and Jose A. Yaryura-Tobais, MD take their experiences and education to write an easily understood book which covers reasons why people save, treatment options, cognitive strategies, and a decluttering and organizing program. Exercises are written throughout the book so that the reader can conquer their clutter habit.
Internet Resources For OCD & OCPD & Hoarding Healthy Minds Helpguide Mental Health Net National Alliance on Mental Illness National Institute of Mental Health National Mental Health Association National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation PSYweb Understanding Obsessive Compulsive Disorder