Hoarding disorder
The reasons why someone begins hoarding aren't fully understood.
It can be a symptom of another condition. For example, someone with mobility problems may be physically unable to clear the huge amounts of clutter they have acquired. People with learning disabilities or people developing dementia may be unable to categorise and dispose of items. Mental healthproblems associated with hoarding include:
In some cases, hoarding is a condition in itself and often associated with self-neglect. These people are more likely to:
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". Others may be struggling to cope with a stressful life event, such as the death of a loved one ( bereavement ).
Attempts to discard things often bring up very strong emotions that can feel overwhelming, so the person hoarding often tends to put off or avoid making decisions about what can be thrown out.
Often, many of the things kept are of little or no monetary value and may be what most people would consider rubbish. The person may keep the items for reasons not obvious to other people, such as sentimental reasons, or feeling the objects appear beautiful or useful. Most people with a hoarding disorder have a very strong emotional attachment to the objects.
Read about hoarding disorders, including why it might happen, why it's a problem, and what can be done about it.
The reasons why someone begins hoarding aren't fully understood. It can be a symptom of another condition. For example, someone with mobility problems may be physically unable to clear the huge amoun
Many people collect items such as books or stamps and this isnt considered a problem. The difference between a"hoard"and a"collection"is how these items are organised. A collection is usually well-or
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 (see b
Somepeople with ahoarding disorderwill hoard a range of items, while others may just hoard certain types of objects. Items that are often hoarded include: newspapers andmagazines books clothes l
A hoarding disorder can be a problem for several reasons. It cantake over the person's life, making it very difficult for them to get around their house. It can cause their work performance, personal
If you think a family member or someone you know has a hoarding disorder, try to persuade them to come with you to see a GP. This may not be easy, as someone who hoards might not think they need help
It's not easy to treathoarding disorders, even when theperson is prepared to seek help, butit can be overcome. The main treatment is cognitive behavioural therapy(CBT) . The therapist will help the p