Several scholars have suggested that hoarding hits a little too close to home. We all do daily battle against an excess of stuff.
It flows into our homes, brought by FedEx and the U. Postal Service, snagged on Amazon, Facebook Marketplace, Freecycle, or a yard sale, inherited or handed down. It piles up in closets, basements, and garages. Almost 10 percent of American households are renting at least one storage space, often for an overflow of stuff, according to a Self Storage Industry Fact Sheet.
It is now possible for every American to stand comfortably, at the same time, under the total canopy of self-storage roofing. Those of us terrified by this prospect watch episodes of Hoarders or Hoarding: Buried Alive and race to declutter, muttering the KonMari principles as we hunt for sparks of joy amid the detritus. But now we are glutted with stuff—and uneasy about the consequences. JSTOR is a digital library for scholars, researchers, and students. By: Jeannette Cooperman. January 16, February 18, Share Tweet Email Print.
Get Our Newsletter. Have a correction or comment about this article? Please contact us. DSM-5's controversial debut: Diagnostic manual updates disorder criteria. Clutter, Clutter Everywhere. The goal is to improve the person's decision-making and organisational skills, help them overcome urges to save and, ultimately, clear the clutter, room by room. The therapist won't throw anything away but will help guide and encourage the person to do so.
The therapist can also help the person develop decision-making strategies, while identifying and challenging underlying beliefs that contribute to the hoarding problem.
The person gradually becomes better at throwing things away, learning that nothing terrible happens when they do and becomes better at organising items they insist on keeping. At the end of treatment, the person may not have cleared all their clutter, but they will have gained a better understanding of their problem.
They will have a plan to help them continue to build on their successes and avoid slipping back into their old ways. Page last reviewed: 12 June Next review due: 12 June Home Mental health Mental health conditions Back to Mental health conditions.
Hoarding disorder. Hoarding is considered a significant problem if: the amount of clutter interferes with everyday living — for example, the person is unable to use their kitchen or bathroom and cannot access rooms the clutter is causing significant distress or negatively affecting the quality of life of the person or their family — for example, they become upset if someone tries to clear the clutter and their relationship suffers Hoarding disorders are challenging to treat because many people who hoard frequently do not see it as a problem, or have little awareness of how it's affecting their life or the lives of others.
If not tackled, it's a problem that will probably never go away. Why someone may hoard The reasons why someone begins hoarding are not fully understood. Mental health problems associated with hoarding include: severe depression psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia obsessive compulsive disorder OCD In some cases, hoarding is a condition in itself and often associated with self-neglect. These people are more likely to: live alone be unmarried have had a deprived childhood, with either a lack of material objects or a poor relationship with other members of their family have a family history of hoarding have grown up in a cluttered home and never learned to prioritise and sort items Many people who hoard have strongly held beliefs related to acquiring and discarding things, such as: "I may need this someday" or "If I buy this, it will make me happy".
What's the difference between hoarding and collecting? Signs of a hoarding disorder Someone who has a hoarding disorder may typically: keep or collect items that may have little or no monetary value, such as junk mail and carrier bags, or items they intend to reuse or repair find it hard to categorise or organise items have difficulties making decisions struggle to manage everyday tasks, such as cooking, cleaning and paying bills become extremely attached to items, refusing to let anyone touch or borrow them have poor relationships with family or friends Hoarding can start as early as the teenage years and gets more noticeable with age.
Items people may hoard Some people with a hoarding disorder will hoard a range of items, while others may just hoard certain types of objects. Items that are often hoarded include: newspapers and magazines books clothes leaflets and letters, including junk mail bills and receipts containers, including plastic bags and cardboard boxes household supplies Some people also hoard animals, which they may not be able to look after properly. Why hoarding disorders are a problem A hoarding disorder can be a problem for several reasons.
Some communities have agencies that help with hoarding problems. Check with the local or county government for resources in your area. As hard as it might be, if your loved one's hoarding disorder threatens health or safety, you may need to contact local authorities, such as police, fire, public health, child or elder protective services, or animal welfare agencies.
It's not clear what causes hoarding disorder. Genetics, brain functioning and stressful life events are being studied as possible causes. Hoarding usually starts around ages 11 to 15, and it tends to get worse with age. Hoarding is more common in older adults than in younger adults. Because little is understood about what causes hoarding disorder, there's no known way to prevent it.
However, as with many mental health conditions, getting treatment at the first sign of a problem may help prevent hoarding from getting worse. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version.
This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Hoarding disorder is a persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Hoarding disorder. Hoarding is not the same as collecting. Collectors typically acquire possessions in an organized, intentional, and targeted fashion.
Once acquired, the items are removed from normal usage, but are subject to being organizing, admired, and displayed to others. Acquisition of objects in people who hoard is largely impulsive, with little active planning, and triggered by the sight of an object that could be owned. Objects acquired by people with hoarding lack a consistent theme, whereas those of collectors are narrowly focused on a particular topic.
In contrast to the organization and display of possessions seen in collecting, disorganized clutter is a hallmark of hoarding disorder. The overall prevalence of hoarding disorder is approximately 2. The prevalence and features of hoarding appear to be similar across countries and cultures. The bulk of evidence suggests that hoarding occurs with equal frequency in men and women. Hoarding behavior begins relatively early in life and increases in severity with each decade.
Hoarding disorder can cause problems in relationships, social and work activities, and other important areas of functioning. Potential consequences of serious hoarding include health and safety concerns, such as fire hazards, tripping hazards, and health code violations. It can also lead to family strain and conflicts, isolation and loneliness, unwillingness to have anyone else enter the home, and an inability to perform daily tasks, such as cooking and bathing in the home.
Specific symptoms for a hoarding diagnosis include American Psychiatric Association, :. The hoarding causes major distress or problems in social, work or other important areas of functions including maintaining a safe environment for self and others. Mental health professionals may also ask permission to speak with friends and family to help make a diagnosis or use questionnaires rating scales to help assess level of functioning.
Some individuals with hoarding disorder may recognize and acknowledge that they have a problem with accumulating possessions; others may not see a problem. Excessive acquisition occurs in the vast majority of cases and—although not a core diagnostic feature—should be carefully monitored.
In addition to the core features of difficulty discarding and clutter, many people with hoarding disorder also have associated problems such as indecisiveness, perfectionism, procrastination, disorganization and distractibility.
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