Obsessive Compulsive Disorders in a Marriage
Before couples counseling, Bobby was a slob. There was doubt about it. It wasn’t a relative opinion, expressed only by his wife. His co-workers said the same thing. His mother said the same thing. Even his old college roommates said the same thing…and they were pretty sloppy! Tasha knew this before entering into marriage with him but felt like she loved him so much, that she’d “be able to manage.”
Unfortunately, their marriage and home life became increasingly unmanageable. Bobby’s problem was not such sloppiness but hoarding, which is a diagnosable psychological issue. According to the OC (Obsessive Compulsive) Foundation Website, hoarding is debatingly considered an obsessive compulsive disorder:
Hoarding is defined as the acquisition and failure to dispose of large quantities of items, which are of little use or value (Frost & Gross, 2003). Typically, the hoarded material takes up space and makes parts of the home unusable for their intended purposes. Hoarding often creates situations that are considered dangerous or unsafe by local government officials responsible for the health and safety of the community (i.e., public health officials, fire officials). The diagnostic status of compulsive hoarding is uncertain.
Bobby met many of the criteria for hoarding and Tasha began realizing her husband had a real problem. Soon afterwards, Bobby started meeting with a counselor individually to uncover some of the deeper issues for this embedded disorder. It took a long time therapeutically before Tasha began seeing some changes in her uncomfortably fully home, but headway was made.
Bobby is still being treated and Tasha feels relieved that there has been headway, though still feels overwhelmed by their shared household. She says “At least I know there’s progress. But our kitchen is still a mess! Less of a mess…so I’m happier for now.”
