The Bubble Over My Head: Why Hoarding Behavior May Be An Attempt At Control

Laurie says her father, John, is in “total denial” about being an “absolutely terrible hoarder.” She claims that nearly every room in the house they share is filled with “junk,” that there is animal waste throughout the house, and that they’re living with a bed bug infestation. John admits he has hoarding “tendencies.” He says that debilitating depression brought on by his divorce from Laurie’s mom, the death of his mother three years later, and a traumatic event from his childhood has made it difficult for him to clean up the clutter. In The Bubble Over My Head, Dr. Phil says that depression, OCD, and other disorders are often co-morbid with hoarding behaviors. “The theory is that if people feel like they can control things around them in their physical world, then they feel a little bit more in control in their internal world,” he says. Check here to see more from Monday’s episode. Dr. Phil airs Monday-Friday. Find your local listing here. WATCH: Man Who Admits To Hoarding ‘Tendencies’ Says He Hasn’t Had The Resources To Clean Up Property TELL DR. PHIL YOUR STORY:Struggling with a Storage Shed Dilemma?