Hoarding disorder is a new diagnosis in DSM-5. DSM-IV lists hoarding as one of the possible symptoms of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder and notes that extreme hoarding may occur in obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, available data do not indicate that hoarding is a variant of obsessive-compulsive disorder or another mental disorder. Instead, there is evidence for the diagnostic validity and clinical utility of a separate diagnosis of hoarding disorder, which reflects persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions due to a perceived need to save the items and distress associated with discarding them. Hoarding disorder may have unique neurobiological correlates, is associated with significant impairment, and may respond to clinical intervention.
North Carolina Cruelty to Animals Statutes
14-360 Cruelty to animals; construction of section.
(a) If any person shall intentionally overdrive, overload, wound, injure, torment, kill, or deprive of necessary sustenance, or cause or procure to be over-driven, overloaded, wounded, injured, tormented, killed, or deprived of necessary sustenance, any animal, every such offender shall for every such offense be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.(b) If any person shall maliciously torture, mutilate, maim, cruelly beat, disfigure, poison, or kill, or cause or procure to be tortured, mutilated, maimed, cruelly beaten, disfigured, poisoned, or killed, any animal, every such offender shall for every such offense be guilty of a Class I felony. However, nothing in this section shall be construed to increase the penalty for cockfighting provided for in G.S. 14-362.
(c) As used in this section, the words “torture”, “torment”, and “cruelly” include or refer to any act, omission, or neglect causing or permitting unjustifiable pain, suffering, or death. As used in this section, the word “intentionally” refers to an act committed knowingly and without justifiable excuse, while the word “maliciously” means an act committed intentionally and with malice or bad motive. As used in this section, the term “animal” includes every living vertebrate in the classes Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves, and Mammalia except human beings. However, this section shall not apply to the following activities:
(1) The lawful taking of animals under the jurisdiction and regulation of the Wildlife Resources Commission, except that this section shall apply to those birds exempted by the Wildlife Resources Commission from its definition of “wild birds” pursuant to G.S. 113-129(15a).
(2) Lawful activities conducted for purposes of biomedical research or training or for purposes of production of livestock, poultry, or aquatic species.
(2a) Lawful activities conducted for the primary purpose of providing food for human or animal consumption.
(3) Activities conducted for lawful veterinary purposes.
(4) The lawful destruction of any animal for the purposes of protecting the public, other animals, property, or the public health.14-363.2 Confiscation of cruelly treated animals.
Conviction of any offense contained in this Article may result in confiscation of cruelly treated animals belonging to the accused and it shall be proper for the court in its discretion to order a final determination of the custody of the confiscated animals
300 dead birds found in home of N.J. animal rescue aide – USA TODAY
March 11,2014
“LITTLE SILVER, N.J. — A Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals volunteer lived with more than 300 dead birds and the decomposing bodies of other animals that she took responsibility to rehabilitate, but instead began hoarding, authorities said Monday.”
Click here for more information
(Photo: Russ DeSantis, The Asbury Park)
Characteristics of an animal hoarder?
Animal hoarders tend to do the following:
- own an unusually vast number of animals
- basic needs to care for the animals (like food, shelter, exercise,etc.) are absent
- in denial about the harm done and participate in rationalization defense mechanism
- lack self control to repeat the act
Common Affects from Animal Hoarding
The Animal’s Point of View
- limited to no exercise
- chronic stress confinement
- overcrowding due to high population of animals
- socializing deficiency and fear
- sometimes life threatening weight loss
- vast population of parasites
- poor coat (fur/hair)
- increased level of ammonia due to feces and urine exposure
- easy spread of infectious diseases
According to www.dsm5.org/ Hoarding now has a disorder category.
Hoarding Disorder
“Hoarding disorder is characterized by the persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of the value others may attribute to these possessions. The behavior usually has harmful effects—emotional, physical, social, financial, and even legal—for the person suffering from the disorder and family members. For individuals who hoard, the quantity of their collected items sets them apart from people with normal collecting behaviors. They accumulate a large number of possessions that often fill up or clutter active living areas of the home or workplace to the extent that their intended use is no longer possible.”
For more information click here: Obsessive Compulsive Disorders Fact Sheet(2)
Phoenix ‘Noah’s Ark’ neighbors
Neighbors of the “Noah’s Ark” house in north Phoenix where Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies found 100 animals last month, some of them in poor condition, are complaining that county officials haven’t done anything since the raid.
Andrea Mikkel, 61, was found to be hoarding around 100 animals both inside and outside her home on her one-acre plot of land, officials said.
Mikkel hadn’t been charged as of Wednesday.
Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies executed a raid in early January in which about 60 animals were seized. Animals found included zebras, exotic birds, sheep, horses, pigs, dogs and chickens, officials said.
Read more at: http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2015/02/04/phoenix-andrea-mikkel-noahs-ark-raid-follow/22853941/
OCD Personality Disorder diagnosis cases
Michael Daniel Leidecker, 2004
“The most common model disorder in both object hoarders and animal hoarders is OCD Personality disorder model. The impulse to amass a large collection of some item or items simply for the sake of collecting it, can symptomatic of obsessive- compulsive personality disorder. People with this disorder appear to experience an overwhelming sense of responsibility for preventing imagined harm to animals and they engage in unrealistic steps to fulfill this responsibility In addition over 80% of animal hoarders also hoard inanimate objects, a symptom present in 20-30% of OCD”
Newly Approved Bill Defines Animal Hoarding (Arizona)
“In light of several recent animal hoarding cases in Arizona, the state senate approved House Bill 2150 on Tuesday. It was created to officially define and create stricter penalties for hoarding of animals such as domestic cats and dogs.
But the bill has some opponents questioning what that means for livestock, which are classified as working animals.
Senate President Andy Biggs of Gilbert said while this bill focuses on domestic animals, livestock and horses are still protected.
“I have heard that this bill is just an attempt to get out of animal cruelty,” Biggs said. “And yet, when I read the bill, I see that animal cruelty for livestock remains a felony.”
The bill states that hoarding means to possess animals in a quantity and manner that fails to provide minimum standards of nutrition, sanitation and medical care.”
Source: kjzz.org/content/117897/newly-approved-bill-defines-animal-hoarding
Triggers: Why do they hoard animals?
The animal hoarder is caused or triggered by many aspects of life such as:
- depression
- guilt
- feeling the need to “rescue” them all or savior complex
- compulsion or attachment disorder
Animal hoarders fall into a category of depression from tragedy while exhibiting a form of the attachment theory.
The attachment theory states that hoarders use animals to fill in for personal attachment that they are unable to fulfill. this is supported by continuous hoarding of animals after deaths of loved ones or a divorce.
Animal Hoarding Awareness 