Ask Dr. Schwartz
Psychotherapy and Mental Health questions

I'm really worried about my mom. She just can't let ANYTHING go. This problem has always had the potential to be a major issue, but now that I have become independent, it is spiraling out of control. I'm an only child, and I think she is trying to compensate for the fact that I am no longer in the nest. The magazines, greeting cards, and old newspapers have always been a problem. Now she's progressed to a level that is starting to scare me. She has over 2,000 beanie babies. Every time a fast food restaurant gives some little piece of chunk away with their food she will take it and save it. She'll buy their kid's meals until she has the entire collection. She'll save every little trinket from a cereal box. I could go on and on but I think you get the picture. I've tried to talk to her about it, but she always gets angry and says she doesn't want to talk about it. Or she'll call herself a collector and scream, " it's my stuff", and then storm off. I really am not sure how to tackle this problem. I just found this site and thought it might not be a bad place to start. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank You for your time. KB

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