Online and Off: A Collection of Therapeutic Resources for Those With Hoarding Issues

Mental-health centers may be the place to start seeking help for someone with a serious hoarding problem. If a hoarder’s behavior creates an imminent threat--such as piles of newspapers perched near a space heater or a home so cluttered it would be hard for anyone to get in or out in the event of a fire--it’s best to call the nonemergency number of the local fire department.

* Two self-help groups, Clutterers Anonymous and Messies Anonymous, sponsor meetings in some parts of the country. There is no scientific evidence that such 12-step programs are effective in treating severe hoarding; typically these groups are designed for people with less-serious problems.

For Clutterers Anonymous, go to https://www.clutterers-anonymous.org or write P.O. Box 91413, Los Angeles, CA 90009-1413. For Messies Anonymous, go to https://www.messies.com or write 5025 S.W. 114 Ave., Miami, FL 33165.

* The Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation offers information and resources on OCD and hoarding. Go to https://www.OCFoundation.org or write 337 Notch Hill Road, North Branford, Conn. 06471.

* Some therapists specialize in the treatment of hoarding.

Gary Patronek, a veterinarian at Tufts University, maintains a Web site about animal hoarding. Go to https://www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/hoarding.html.

Hoarding researcher Randy O. Frost has a Web site that includes an extensive bibliography of hoarding articles and a description of projects sponsored by his research lab at Smith College in Northampton, Mass. Go tohttps://sophia.smith.edu/~rfrost/.