Monday, May 3, 2010

Helping Hoarders

by Siobhan Riley

Is your house cluttered? Do you have trouble moving from room to room? There's a chance you may be a hoarder.

Psychologists say at least two million people suffer from compulsive hoarding.
It's a condition where someone collects numerous items to the point where their space becomes extremely cluttered.


WCBI News talked to one family member who's daughter was a hoarder. We'll go beyond the illness and tell you how to identify a hoarder and what you can do to help.


In just a few days, Shirley Kabban will be attending her daughter's funeral.


"She was a sweet girl, she loved everybody and she really loved her family," said Kabban.
48 year old Rita Kabban was found dead in her Tupelo home. Sheriff's Deputies found her Monday, and believe she could have been dead inside the home for as long as three months.


The cause of her death is still under investigation but foul play wasn't suspected
One thing that investigators say is very clear is that Rita Kabban was living in a cluttered home.

They say she was a hoarder.


Inside the home, they found a collection of long perished items like food stacked on top of empty cartons.


Shirley says her daughter's hoarding habits started after she served in the military..." More