Meghan Cromie: Anxiety & OCD Therapist in ft. lauderdale
seeing patients virtually throughout Florida, texas, idaho, vermont & South Carolina
Anxiety therapy that works
constantly feeling Trapped in your own home. Embarrassment when you think of people coming over. Anxious when you think about starting to declutter. Conflict with loved ones that leaves you feeling isolated.
meghan cromie is one of the only Hoarding specialists, in south florida. work with an expert to get you free from hoarding.
Hoarding can leave you feeling stuck, alone, and miserable. if you or a loved one struggles with hoarding reach out today
Hoarding is a mental health condition characterized by an inability to discard possessions, leading to an excessive accumulation of items that clutters living spaces and impairs their use. Hoarding is more than just messiness- It is defined by the persistent difficulty in parting with possessions due to a perceived need to save them and distress associated with getting rid of them. This often involves excessive acquiring of items, even if they have little value, and can cause significant social, occupational, and functional impairment.
While there’s no quick fix for hoarding, it is treatable. I work with you using evidenced based techniques to break out of the cycle of hoarding. Throughout treatment we’ll help you get more aware as to why you hold on to items- whether from grief, trauma, intrusive thoughts, or self soothing. Through therapy, we ask, “What's the worst thing that could happen if you didn't have this item?” “What do you think other people do with similar items?” “If you threw this information away now, how could you access it if you found that you needed it in the future?”. I will also work to teach you alternative ways to manage your emotional state that bring you closer to your loved ones and community. You’ll learn to get more control back in your life, and to stop relying on hoarding behaviors to feel better.
FAQs
Why do people hoard?
Compulsive hoarding is most commonly driven by obsessional fears of losing important items that the person believes will be needed, distorted beliefs about the importance of possessions, and excessive emotional attachments to possessions. People with hoarding disorder usually fear making wrong decisions about what to discard and what to keep, so they acquire and save items to prepare for every imaginable contingency.
Two types of saving have been identified: instrumental saving, in which possessions fulfill a specific desire or purpose, and sentimental saving, in which possessions represent extensions of the self. By saving possessions, the compulsive hoarder postpones making the decision to discard something and, therefore, avoids experiencing anxiety about making a mistake or being less than perfectly prepared. The most commonly saved items include newspapers, magazines, old clothing, bags, books, mail, notes, and lists.
Can’t they just throw everything away?
Not really. Hoarding is a serious mental health condition. The act of hoarding functions as an unhealthy but powerful anxiety management tool. Without first helping that person develop more health coping, getting rid of the items may causse immense panic, and usually results in more hoarding behavior afterwards to “compensate”.
Does therapy help?
Absolutely. I help patients learn that nothing terrible happens when they discard items that feel valuable. Therapy can also help patients can learn how to organize their remaining possessions more effectively. When hoarders discard possessions, they typically become anxious, sad, or angry. Discarding tasks may be performed in the patient's home or in my office. When treatment occurs in the home, patients are asked to pick one room on which they would most like to work. We will work together to systematically work through the room, discarding items or storing them appropriately as we go. We go step by step to help you recover from hoarding at a pace that works for you.
me or my loved one who hoards doesn’t want to leave the house, can you still help?
Yes, hoarding disorder often results in not wanting to leave the home. I work with people virtually, as well as through conducting home visits when needed to help you heal from hoarding. Reach out today for more information
What does your ideal home look like?
Work with an expert in Hoarding