WELDON SPRING, MO: On Friday, March 24, 2017 Debbie Kricenski from the St. Louis County Problem Properties Unit, Department of Public Works, spoke to an audience of 200 at CenterPointe Hospital on the topic, “Addressing Hoarding Issues.” Hoarding Disorder is a mental health disorder characterized by a difficulty getting rid of possessions that are no longer useful, and efforts to get rid of the items and not acquire new items causes distress.
Ms. Kricenski’s presentation addressed some of the underlying psychological issues in hoarding behavior such as obses-sive depression disorder, depression, grief, loss and trauma, as well as and emphasized the need for a sensitive, empa-thetic approach when working with individuals with hoarding tendencies.
Ms. Kricencki works closely with many other agencies including police, emergency medical services, fire department, mental health facilities, Divisions on Aging, Department of Family Services, as well as with case workers, family mem-bers, friends and neighbors.