Lee County’s recently formed Hoarding Task force has been working with local residents who find themselves and their homes overwhelmed by clutter. An estimated 12 to 30 thousand hoarders live in Lee County. In part two of our look at this growing and sometimes dangerous emotional disorder, WGCU’s Valarie Edwards introduces us to Chester, a hoarder who – with support from the task force-- is now on the road to recovery.

The Lee County Hoarding Taskforce held its first public forum on Friday, on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University.

The consortium of public and private agencies includes regional police and fire departments, animal control agents, therapists and professional organizers.

Hoarding is an inability to part with possessions, irrespective of their value. And despite common misperceptions, many hoarders are well educated.

Although women hoard at significantly higher rates than men, both are likely to have experienced a traumatic event that led to the hoarding. It’s a significant commonality among a host of others, according to taskforce member Dr. Belinda Bruster.

“Another one may be mental illness, such as depression, OCD … which is obsessive compulsive disorder. Those are common features that you might find in a hoarder. But once again, everyone is different,” says Bruster.

Experts believe recovery can be difficult for hoarders who find it hard to bounce back from the trauma.

“Women can sometimes get stuck in that traumatic event and not be able to move forward. Where men have a traumatic event and they’re able to move forward a little bit better,” says Bruster.

Although experts aren’t certain, it’s estimated between twelve and 30,000 hoarders live in Lee County.

More information is available by contacting the Lee County Department of Human Services at (239) 533-7936.

Prescription drug abuse is on the rise nationwide and in Florida - not only in adults, but also teens. The Partnership for a Drug Free America’s 20th National Tracking Study on Teen Drug Abuse found that 1 in 5 teens report abusing prescription medication at least once in their lives. Experts say the rise is a product of their accessibility and the lack of awareness. As part of our Your Voice series: Addicted! - WGCU’s Farah Dosani with the Healthy State Collaborative reports.

Pinellas County based non-profit addiction and mental health services provider Operation Par opened a methadone clinic in Lee County to treat heroin and opiate addicts ten years ago.  Back in the year 2000 Amy Tardif traveled to what was then Operation Par’s nearest clinic, in Bradenton, to learn all about methadone before the Fort Myers clinic opened.   Here’s that story:

On June 15, 2010 the federal government announced that 34-percent of the adult population in the United States is obese.  As part of WGCU Public Media’s quarterly initiative – Your Voice: Addicted – Estero mental health counselor Linda Meyerholz talks about food addiction.

WGCU Public Media’s quarterly initiative Your Voice: Addicted continues with another essay by Estero mental health counselor Linda Meyerholz.  She draws a comparison between alcoholism and work addiction.

When used in high doses, opiate medications can depress respiration and even cause death.  Mixing them with alcohol makes them even more deadly.  According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, 169 people died from drug overdoses in Lee County during the first 6 months of last year.  Of those, 82-percent involved prescription drugs, mostly opiates like oxycodone.  Many addicts want help, but find it hard to stop.  As part of our Your Voice series “Addicted” Rachelle Grossman spoke to an addict facing the grim truth that his dependency on prescription drugs could end his life.

WGCU Public Media’s quarterly initiative “Your Voice” begins again today, focusing on the effects of addiction on people, families and the community of Southwest Florida.  We’ll have a series of five essays this week from Estero mental health counselor Linda Meyerholz, beginning with this one which attempts to define addiction.

The Willough of Naples is a treatment center for chemical dependency. Self magazine has recognized it one of the top ten treatment centers in the United States. Reporter Rachelle Grossman reports on those the Willough treats who are addicted to opiates. They say the pills are far too easy to get in Southwest Florida.

Southwest Florida residents dealing with drug and alcohol addiction have a new option for treatment.  WGCU’s Valerie Alker reports.