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Hoarding affects approximately 4% of the US population. While it has been categorized as a subtype of obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), research has uncovered many differences. Learn about the unique features associated with hoarders and the differences between hoarding and OCD.

Hoarding Disorder

Thank you for this informative article ...

Mild OCD runs in one branch of my family. Also, mild hoarding.

I just dealt with my elderly aunt and her hoarding. It was terribly trying but now that I understand this condition better, I don't get so emotionally drawn into the problem. What a relief.

Thanks Susan!

Lori,
It sounds like you have a lot of first hand experience with this disorder. I am sorry about your aunt.

Did you know....

Family or friends sometimes think that clearing out the hoarders possessions while the hoarder is away from the home will help solve the problem. This is not so. The compulsive hoarder will simply re-hoard often within a few months.

In addition, the hoarder returns and will most likely feel deeply traumatized, angry and betrayed.

I deal with hoarders and the important thing is that they make the decision themselves as to what stays and what goes. Even if someone else gets rid of it, the hoarder must make the decision, or they will feel violated.

I like this sentence
The idea behind this treatment is that the more the patient is able to sift and discard, the more he or she habituates to this process.
That is definitely my experience, when once people start to declutter, it encourages them to do more.

Thanks Tina.
Many people try to help and believe if they just clean up the houses it will cure the problem.

Did you know.....

It is estimated that 600,000 - 1.2 million people hoard in the U.S.

I have a hoarding problem and I know I need help for it. I don't hoard garbage, but i find it impossible to get rid of my things. If anyone tried to 'help' me by tossing stuff when I was gone, I don't think I would ever forgive them.

One of my clients won a free closet storage system (before she was my client). The professionals came and removed all her stuff (they didn't throw anything away), then remodeled her closet. But my client was really upset by the process because all these strangers were touching her stuff.

Tina, i can see that. I don't like people touching my stuff either.

OK, i just read the article. I have problems with all four of these characteristics:


 Emotional dysregulation: anxiety, depression, and high levels of perfectionism
 Difficulty processing information and problems with attention, memory, and decision making
 Intense emotional attachments to objects that involve attaching humanlike qualities to inanimate objects, experiencing grief when getting rid of objects, and experiencing a sense of safety and happiness when surrounded by possessions
 Beliefs about the necessity of not wasting objects or losing opportunities that are presented by objects

Did you know...(I believe Lori mentioned levels of hoarding in a previous post)...

Just as there are levels of anxiety from mild feelings to a full blown panic attack, hoarding is also categorized into levels. The National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization have developed criteria to determine what level a person is from level one (most mild) to level five (most severe).

At level one, a person would not be considered a hoarder. Their household has some clutter, but is clean and livable.

A level two household may show pet or pest damage, be in need of cleaning and may have some doorways blocked by clutter and may have one household appliance not working.

It is levels three through five that would require intervention. These homes show floor to ceiling clutter, structural damage such as leaks or broken windows, bathrooms that are unusable and rotting food and pest infestations.

A person with a level five hoarding problem can sometimes not live in his own home because the bathrooms and kitchen are unusable.

Looking back now I can see that I grew up in a home where both parents, now deceased, kept everything, even to the point of having to step over objects in the living room and hallways. I'm not sure, but maybe it was because they grew up during the great depression and did not want to be without ever again. I'm the other extreme and admire and keep open expanses on surfaces. Maybe that's a reaction to the clutter from childhood.

Susan,
While doing some research for the article I found that many people would think that living through the depression would be a factor in people who become hoarders. It makes sense if the person had all the other associated factors, but the research and observations found that that alone was not a contributing factor in those that hoard.

Jilly,
Do mind if I ask you if you have a room or rooms in your house that you are not using for its intended purpose due to needing room for the items you collect/keep?

Ilyssa, just a storage area.

Two storage areas and part of my yard. :-(

My parents and their families lived through the Depression and through WWII. They were immigrants who had to leave everything behind and boy could they find a reuse for everything. It was actually quite admirable that they were eco-friendly without knowing it. Reduce, recycle, reuse was a way of life.

They kept everything if there was a possible future use but who could ever use thousands of such items during a single lifetime?

I'm still on constant vigil to prevent my mother's tendencies from running amok. I took care of my aunt's hoarding situation. There's a difference between being a collector or just having a lot of "stuff" versus being a true hoarder. My mom isn't a true hoarder. My aunt is.

Anyway, like you, Susan, I am on the opposite end of the spectrum. Your spirit likes meditation and zen which calls for openness. I, too, value uncluttered space.

On the other hand, I can stand in a roomful of junk and zero in on one tiny item. Cleaning up a hopelessly messy room doesn't faze me and I can accomplish this in a very short amount of time. I am so used to having to do this throughout my life.

Jilly,
Looking at the levels used to classify hoarders, you may be level one (or even less) since you are not using your living spaces for storage. You have set storage units, etc.
Just a thought.

I don't know. It is a huge problem and impacts my everyday life greatly. Huge stress and I can't seem to get rid of anything.

Except today. Weird. I have been productive and walking around, going, "why do I have all this useless stuff?"

I feel like I am coming up to breathe, but fear I will be dragged right back under again.

Jilly,
I'm sorry.
Glad you had a day that felt lighter.....