SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - When Nothing Goes to Waste: the Myster

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - When Nothing Goes to Waste: the Mystery of Obsessive¹ Hoarding²
By Lawan Davis

Broadcast: Tuesday, May 03, 2005

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VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

 
 
And I'm Bob Doughty³. On our program this week, we tell about a mental disorder⁴ called Compulsive hoarding syndrome⁵. It is more than a health disorder. It also is a public safety issue.

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VOICE ONE:

Millions of people in the United States are enjoying the return of spring. During this season, many Americans do what is known as "spring cleaning." They open the windows of their homes to let in fresh air. They use cleaning products that make their homes smell nice. And, they organize their belongings⁶.

Some Americans have developed a strong interest in cleaning up their homes. This also can be called removing clutter⁷. Clutter is a disorganized collection of things. To remove clutter means to throw away the things you do not want. Then, organize the things you have decided⁸ to keep.

VOICE TWO:

In recent years, it has become easy to find information on how to attack clutter. There are books, magazines and even television programs on the subject. Specialty⁹ stores sell containers, boxes and shelves for storing things around the house.

Some Americans pay people to come to their home to remove clutter. Such people provide advice on what to keep and what to throw away.

They also help with organizing things. However, their services can be costly¹⁰. The services of a professional organizer can cost between forty dollars and two hundred dollars an hour.

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VOICE ONE:

Some people have serious problems with clutter. They suffer a mental disorder called compulsive hoarding syndrome. Hoarding is the gathering¹¹ of objects and not being able to throw them away. Most people would say the objects are useless or worthless. However, the hoarder¹² considers them things that could be useful some day. He or she may develop an emotional connection to such things.

Hoarders are afraid to throw away things. Yet, they continue to bring more and more objects into their homes. They may save things such as newspapers, clothing, old food and even animals.

VOICE TWO:

Hoarders live among so much clutter it may endanger their physical health. Dirt, insects, and bacteria that form over a period of time can cause sickness.

Safety experts say the homes of hoarders often are unsafe. A room filled with newspapers, for example, can cause floor supports to break down. In many cases, a room is filled from top to bottom with useless things. There is only a small space to walk from one end of the room to the other.

VOICE ONE:

One of the most famous hoarding cases involved two brothers in New York City. Homer and Langley Collyer were found dead in their home in nineteen forty-seven. Langley Collyer was buried under what appeared to be a mountain of old newspapers. The weight of the newspapers crushed him. Langley was Homer's caretaker. Medical experts believed Langley had been dead for several days before his brother Homer died of starvation.

Police found the home was filled with thousands of unused books, pieces of wood, and skins from large fruits and vegetables. The two brothers also saved pipes and very large automobile¹³ parts.

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VOICE TWO:

In recent years, mental health experts have studied compulsive hoarding syndrome. Yet, the disorder is still difficult for most people to understand.

Hoarding can have a severe effect on the family of a hoarder. Family members who share a home with the hoarder cannot understand why their loved one keeps so many useless things. They say the hoarder should make a greater effort to keep the home clean and organized.

VOICE ONE:

However, it is not that simple. Hoarding is most commonly connected to obsessive-compulsive disorder, or O.C.D. O.C.D. causes someone to have ideas that interfere¹⁴ with his or her daily activities. Such persons act on these ideas, even when they know the resulting actions are senseless.

For example, fear of being dirty may cause people with O.C.D. to wash their hands again and again. They may inspect things repeatedly, like making sure all electrical devices are turned off. Hoarders save things because they are afraid to throw something away that might be important.

VOICE TWO:

Sanjaya Saxena is a research scientist at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine. He says hoarders have high levels of uneasiness¹⁵, depression and a need to be perfect.

Recently, Professor Saxena led a study at the U.C.L.A. Neuropsychiatric Institute. The study involved sixty-two adults. Twelve of them had obsessive-compulsive disorder with hoarding actions. Thirty-three others had O.C.D. with mild or no evidence of hoarding. Seventeen others had no signs of the disorder.

The researchers used images from a process called Positron Emission¹⁶ Tomography to measure brain activity. They compared images of the brains of hoarders to those from the other persons with O.C.D.

The hoarders had lower activity in an area of the brain called the anterior¹⁷ cingulated gyrus. This area helps to control decision-making and the ability to solve problems.

The study found that different medicines could possibly improve the success of treatment. The American Journal of Psychiatry¹⁸ published the findings. More studies are planned.

VOICE ONE:

Randy Frost is a psychologist at Smith College in Massachusetts. He also has studied hoarding. Professor Smith says it is more than a mental disorder. He says hoarding is a public health problem. Collecting waste, food or materials that can cause fires creates serious health risks.

In the United States, hoarding violates¹⁹ laws that were created to protect public safety and property. Some cities have formed groups to deal with the problems caused by hoarding. Each group usually has representatives from one or more government agencies.

Agency officials say they often hear about hoarders from citizens who live near someone affected²⁰ with the disorder. The citizens no longer want to see broken household equipment or old clothing lying on property near their homes.

VOICE TWO:

There also are hoarders who collect cats, dogs or other animals. Most animal hoarders believe they are rescuing the animals with the purpose of caring for them. However, hoarders do not realize when they have too many animals. The hoarders are really doing more harm than good. They may not be able to provide medical care for the animals. Some animals may not be washed or fed.

Officials have been shocked at the condition of the homes of animal hoarders. Floors were covered with animal wastes. Infectious²¹ diseases were a problem. Some animals were found starving, while others had died.

VOICE ONE:

Gary Patronek works at the Center for Animals and Public Policy at the Tufts University School of Medicine in Massachusetts. Doctor Patronek says there are several things that help to describe animal hoarding. They include having large numbers of animals and the poor conditions they live in. He also said the hoarder often denies there is a problem.

An animal hoarder usually collects other things, such as clothing or magazines. Experts suspect that many hoarders have had uncaring parents or disorderly lives as children. The animals serve as a way for hoarders to get the love they always wanted. Animal hoarders often claim to love the animals. They cannot deal with the thought that something might happen to the animal.

VOICE TWO:

Compulsive hoarding syndrome can be treated. However, it is very difficult. The treatment may involve medicines and working with a mental health expert.

The expert helps hoarders to understand their actions of saving useless things. Patients are taught to develop a plan for organizing. They learn how to decide what to throw away. They learn to resist the urge to bring home more things.

Experts suggest taking a picture of the area to be organized before and after the work is completed. They say this will provide the patient with a feeling of progress. They also say the treatment program, changes in the way of thinking, and improved decision-making skills will help the patient in other areas of their life for a long time.

(THEME)

VOICE ONE:

This program was written by Lawan Davis. Cynthia Kirk was our producer. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English.

(THEME)

1 obsessive   

adj. 着迷的, 强迫性的, 分神的

参考例句：

• Some people are obsessive about cleanliness.有些人有洁癖。
• He's becoming more and more obsessive about punctuality.他对守时要求越来越过分了。

2 hoarding   

n.贮藏；积蓄；临时围墙；囤积v.积蓄并储藏（某物）( hoard的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• After the war, they were shot for hoarding. 战后他们因囤积而被枪决。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Actually he had two unused ones which he was hoarding up. 其实他还藏了两片没有用呢。 来自英汉文学

3 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

4 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

5 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

6 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

7 clutter   

n.零乱，杂乱；vt.弄乱，把…弄得杂乱

参考例句：

• The garage is in such a clutter that we can't find anything.车库如此凌乱，我们什么也找不到。
• We'll have to clear up all this clutter.我们得把这一切凌乱的东西整理清楚。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

10 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

11 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

12 hoarder   

n.囤积者，贮藏者

参考例句：

• Was I becoming an eccentric hoarder? 是我变成了一个古怪的收藏者吗？ 来自互联网

13 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

14 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

15 uneasiness   

n.不安，担忧，不自在

参考例句：

• Doctors often sense uneasiness in the people they deal with.医生常常会觉察到病人的不安情绪。
• He felt a species of uneasiness.他有一种不安的感觉。

16 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

17 anterior   

adj.较早的；在前的

参考例句：

• We've already finished the work anterior to the schedule.我们已经提前完成了工作。
• The anterior part of a fish contains the head and gills.鱼的前部包括头和鳃。

18 psychiatry   

n.精神病学，精神病疗法

参考例句：

• The study appeared in the Amercian science Journal of Psychiatry.这个研究发表在美国精神病学的杂志上。
• A physician is someone who specializes in psychiatry.精神病专家是专门从事精神病治疗的人。

19 violates   

亵渎( violate的第三人称单数 )； 违反； 侵犯； 强奸

参考例句：

• Anyone who violates law and discipline must firmly be slapped down. 对于任何违法乱纪的人都必须坚决予以打击。
• The country violates the international agreements. 那个国家违背了国际协议。

20 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

21 infectious   

adj.传染的，有传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。
• What an infectious laugh she has!她的笑声多么具有感染力啊！