One Wee Spark

Hoarding rarely happens without some other mental illness present. Back in March, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Mental Health Association of San Francisco Institute on Compulsive Hoarding and Cluttering's 13th Annual Conference . Dr. Christiana Bratiotis (Ph.D, LCSW) was the keynote speaker, and she shared new findings from a brand new study. One of the things they shared was the co-morbidity (indicates a medical condition existing simultaneously but independently with another condition in a patient) of hoarding and other mental illnesses: In a group of 217 subjects, those affected by other disorders and the breakdown: Major Depressive Disorder 69.1% Social Phobias 28.3% Generalized Anxiety Disorder 24.9% Specific Phobias 16.1% Post Traumatic Stress Disorder 12.4% Substance Abuse 12.0% Bipolar Disorder 1.4% Panic Disorder 1.4% Eating Disorder

Okay, honestly, Geralin has been fabulous! She allowed me to guest blog on her business blog-- Metropolitan Organizing --out of Cary, NC. Just a sneak peek into what growing up in the midst of hoarding is like for the children... Meet Ceci Garrett--She's the Adult Child of a Hoarder Also, I have decided to move into the 21st Century and join Twitter . You can follow me by searching: 1WeeSpark Thanks again for all the love, prayers, and kind words!

So last night the follow-up episode featuring my mother aired. I think it was a great success, just as she has been! Today, I'm on the discussion board at A&E... here . Stop by and say hi... Happy short workweek!

Okay, so I realize that I'm probably the only one who has been counting this down.... ...but tonight is "Hoarders" Season 2 Follow-Up Episode , featuring my mother, and also me! Now I realize that most of you have plans since it's the 4th of July, but don't forget to set your DVR to record the episode BEFORE you leave. Additionally, I will be on the A&E Forum tomorrow after the show, and later in the week I've been asked to guest blog! All this is happening as I put together the literature for a new support/recovery group here in Spokane--Adult Children of Hoarders--which begins on Tuesday, August 9th, meeting every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. Watch for more details! I'm also starting a women's freedom group, called Intensify! which will be on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month starting in August. The mission of this group will be finding peace and freedom in our daily lives as God promised, following the Biblical foundation that led the