Doctors at the Institute of Living (IOL) at Hartford Hospital are leading a clinical study to try to determine what kind of therapy works best for the hoarding disorder and how counseling can re-direct pathways in the brain, allowing patients to make healthier decisions.
The IOL is conducting community events Thursday and Monday on the disorder, treatment options and the study, for which it seeks participants.
Hoarding is a type of mental illness, classified as an obsessive compulsive disorder. Frequently, people who hoard also suffer from other mental or physical conditions including depression, anxiety or chronic illnesses, according to news release from Hartford HealthCare.
Hoarding disorder affects 3 to 5 percent of the population, according to Dr. David Tolin, director of Anxiety Disorders Center at the IOL.
In the study Tolin and colleagues are doing, participants engage in a 16-week course of cognitive behavioral therapy that encourages them to set goals, make decisions more effectively and teaches them ways to manage some the emotional upset associated with clearing up the clutter, according to a news release. Brain scans taken throughout the treatment will help researchers attempt to identify areas of the brain that might be affected by the disorder and, potentially the treatment.
Tolin hopes the study will help create more targeted and effective approaches to treating those with hoarding disorder.
The community events on hoarding will be Thursday, 6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., Hartford Hospital Wellness Center, Blue Back Square, 65 Memorial Dr., West Hartford; and Monday, 6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., Hartford Hospital Family Health Center, 1290 Silas Deane Highway, Wethersfield.
