MEDIA ADVISORY

WHAT:
Gail Steketee, professor and dean of the Boston University School of Social Work, will present "Piles upon Piles: Understanding and Intervening in Hoarding," the 24th Annual Edith Harris Endowed Memorial Lecture hosted by Wayne State University's School of Social Work. Steketee will discuss the features and symptoms of hoarding, provide a model for understanding the problem and describe interventions for treatment. The event is free and registration is not required.

WHEN:
Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011, 1-3 p.m.

WHERE:
Community Arts Auditorium, 450 Reuther Mall, Wayne State University, Detroit.

MORE INFO:
Hoarding affects all Western cultures and tends to occur more often among individuals of low socioeconomic status. Steketee will use case studies to illustrate hoarding's manifestation across gender, race and ethnic groups, and the impact of income and health concerns on the treatment process.

"Is it possible to become lost in our own clutter? Sadly such problems affect many people in our materially saturated culture," said Dennis Muzzi, director for the Office of Continuing Education and Professional Development at Wayne State University's School of Social Work.

Steketee received her master's and doctoral degrees from Bryn Mawr College. She has conducted numerous research studies on the psychopathology and treatment of anxiety and related problems, especially obsessive compulsive and spectrum disorders, and has published more than 200 articles and chapters, as well as 12 books, including Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering more than 400 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.