She and her family asked that their last name not be used. Those who suffer from this little-known syndrome find it emotionally and physically impossible to throw anything away. Dr. Nancy Snyderman says. It has been linked to a variety of mental illnesses including schizophrenia, but many experts believe it is a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Obsessive-compulsive disorders affect some 2 million Americans.
Hoarding seems to affect equal amounts of men and women.
One study found that 80 percent of hoarders had grown up in a house with someone who hoarded, Snyderman said. A study at UCLA used Pet scans to get a closer look at hoarders' brains, and they have found some brain differences, she said. It's Pure Agony' Chris' family has never known a life without it. Her husband gradually realized that there was a problem. People who hoard wall themselves into a maze of meaningless possessions.