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From VOA Learning English, this is Science in theNews.

I’m Mario Ritter.

And I’m Faith Lapidus.

Today we tell about compulsive hoarding syndrome,also known as Hoarding Disorder. It is both a mentaldisorder and a public safety issue.

Many people in the United States are looking forward to the return of spring. At this time of year, millions ofAmericans do what is known as “spring cleaning.” Manyopen windows in their homes to let in fresh air. Othersuse cleaning products that make their homes smellnice. And some organize their belongings.

Many Americans have a strong desire to clean up their homes. This can alsobe called “removing clutter.”

Clutter can be described as “a disorganized collection of things.” To removeclutter means to throw away the things you do not want. Then, you organizethe things you have decided to keep.

In recent years, it has become easy to find information on how to attackclutter. There are books, websites and even television programs on thesubject. Specialty stores sell containers and boxes for storing things aroundthe house.

Some Americans pay people to come to their homes to remove clutter. Theseprofessional organizers offer advice on what to keep and what to throw away.They also help with organizing things. However, the services of a professionalorganizer can be costly. They can cost up to $200 an hour.

Some people have serious problems with clutter. They have what experts callhoarding disorder. Hoarders continually gather objects until there is no spaceor room for everything. American experts estimate that hoarding disorderaffects between two and five percent of the population.

Hoarding has been linked to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, also known asOCD. People who suffer from OCD have ideas that interfere with their dailyactivities. But they recognize they have a problem. Some hoarders do notrealize they have a mental health disorder. Hoarding can also result from otherdisorders.

In 2013, the American Psychological Association included hoarding in itsDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Medical health expertsoften turn to the manual for guidance.

People with hoarding disorder continue to gather and save things. Most peoplesay the objects hoarders keep are useless or worthless. However, hoardersbelieve the objects could be useful someday. They may even develop anemotional connection to such things or feel safer when surrounded by theirgrowing possessions.

Hoarders are afraid to throw away things. At the same time, they continue tobring more and more things into their homes. They may save objects such asnewspapers, clothing, and even old food.

Hoarders live with so much clutter that it may affect their physical health. Dirt,insects and bacteria that form over time can cause sickness.

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

As a result, a fire could spread quickly if it were to start in the home of ahoarder. Household clutter could delay efforts by firefighters to rescue peopleliving in the home.

Recently, a woman suffered major burns from a house fire in the Americanstate of Maryland. Her household clutter made it difficult for firefighters torescue her. Hoarding can become not only a safety problem for the personwith the disorder, but also for those who may be attempting to help theindividual.

One of the most famous hoarding cases involved two brothers in New YorkCity. Homer and Langley Collyer were found dead in their home in 1947.Langley Collyer was buried under what appeared to be a mountain of oldnewspapers. The weight of the newspapers crushed him. Langley wasHomer’s caretaker. Medical examiners believed Langley had been dead forseveral days before his brother Homer died of starvation.

Police found the home filled with thousands of unread books, pieces of wood, and skins from large fruits and vegetables. The brothers also saved pipes andlarge automobile parts.

Hoarding disorder can have a severe effect on a family. Family members whoshare a home with a hoarder cannot understand why their loved one keeps somany useless and sometimes dangerous things. It prevents the family fromenjoying their home.

Experts say the hoarder should make a greater effort to keep the home cleanand organized. However, it is not that simple.

Items from a hoarder's home in Las Vegas in 2012 are stacked from floor to ceiling inside.

Randy Frost has studied hoarding. Professor Frost is a psychologist at SmithCollege in Massachusetts. He says hoarding is more than a mental disorder. He says it is also an issue of public health.

Severe health risks can result from saving waste, food or materials that cancause fires. In the United States, hoarding can violate laws that were createdto protect public safety and property. Some cities have formed groups to dealwith the problems caused by hoarding. Each group usually hasrepresentatives from one or more government agencies.

Agency officials say they often hear about hoarders from people who live nearsomeone affected with the disorder. Those people no longer want to seebroken household equipment or other things lying on property near theirhomes.

Individuals suffering from hoarding disorder do not only collect objects. Somekeep a large number of cats, dogs, birds, snakes or other animals. Mostanimal hoarders believe they are rescuing the animals to care for them. Butunlike most pet owners, hoarders do not realize when they have too manyanimals. They are really doing more harm than good. They may not be able toprovide health 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. Infectious diseases were a problem.Some animals were found starving, while others had died.

Earlier this year, police in California arrested a school teacher for hoarding400 snakes. The man’s neighbors reported that his home had a very badsmell coming from it. When police arrived, they found the home filled withsnakes in small plastic containers. Some of the snakes were dead, but otherswere alive. Other containers also had rats and mice.

A few years ago, a grand jury in New York charged a man and his wife withhoarding hundreds of cats. The cats clearly had not received good care.Investigators said some of the animals were missing teeth or eyes. Otherswere suffering from many insect bites and dehydration -- a lack of neededfluids in the body. The owners were charged with torturing and injuringanimals.

Americans have shown deep interest in the strange behavior of animalhoarders like the people in New York. Several television stations show realityprograms about hoarders. Reality programs present events as they happen,such as the rescue of animals from hoarders’ homes.

Television cameras capture the sadness of the owners as animal police takeaway their pets. And the cameras show the struggles of the hoarders and theefforts of people who want to help them.

Gregory Chasson is a mental health expert. He teaches at Towson Universityin Maryland. He says the public’s interest in hoarding programs comes frommost people’s desire to save things.

He says that for most people, this simply means behavior like keeping toomany papers or having a little clutter. But he says hoarding becomes a mentalhealth problem when it interferes with normal life.

Mr. Chasson says hoarding is extremely difficult to treat. He says hoardersare less likely than others to recognize that they have a problem. But hesuggests that cognitive-behavioral therapy can help. In this method, hoarderswork with an expert to understand why they gather and save so many things.

When reasons are found for the hoarding, he says, people can develop a planfor organization. They can learn how to decide what to throw away. They canlearn to resist the urge to bring home more things.

Some hoarders improve by meeting with others and talking about theirstruggles. These group therapy meetings can take place in the hoarders’homes.

But the therapy does not always happen in direct meetings. Some meetingsfor hoarders are held online, through the Internet. And, some hoarders usetheir computers to communicate with a supportive person.

A method as easy as taking a picture of the area to be organized before andafter the work is done can give hoarders a feeling of progress. With improveddecision-making skills and ways of thinking, it is possible for a hoarder tobecome a former hoarder.

This Science in the News was written by Kim Varzi. Our producer was CatyWeaver.

I’m Mario Ritter. And I’m Faith Lapidus.

Join us again next week at this time for more news about science on theVoice of America.