I just found out that a good friend is a "hoarder".

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I have a friend who is several years older than I am. She grew up in foster care after her mom abandoned her as a baby. She has cerebral palsy but is quite able to get around without assistance. She was in an institution in her early years and spent the rest of her growing up years in foster homes. She moved from home to home. I have known "A" for about 3 years as we attend a weekly prayer meeting together. It is a small group of people (only 5 women). Recently she has been very upset because they will be doing renovations to the inside of her subsidized housing apartment. She has been really upset about having to move her things. Actually the apt. building will be packing for her but she is still in a tizzy. Now I understand why she is so upset. I went to her apt. to help her move some things into storage. I Was SHOCKED! I could barely get in the door because of all the stuff in there. It actually took my eyes awhile to adjust to what I was looking at. Stacks, and Stacks and Stacks of Junk! The only thing not covered was her couch. "At least she can sit down" I thought. She made no apologies for the mess. It was completely a non-issue as we hunted around for the 2 or 3 boxes full of stuff she needed me to help move. I had no idea she lived this way! I confided this to a close friend who is very discreet. The first thing she said was "was she ever institutionalized?" Yes, she was. "I had an uncle who did the same thing. They need things to hold on to. They are afraid to lose control. Because they had NO CONTROL over any of their childhood experiences." I know that this is a psychological disorder and I can't fix her myself. She has no income and no family other than her "family" at church. Are any of you out there dealing with anything like this?