Hoarding

DO YOU OR A FAMILY MEMBER HAVE A PROBLEM WITH HOARDING?

Hoarding is the persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their actual value. The difficulties are due to a perceived need to save the items and the distress that it would cause if having to discard them. The difficulty may arise from a perceived utility of the item or it's aesthetic value or a strong sentimental attachment to the possessions. 

This difficulty in discarding possessions can result in the accumulation of possessions causing congested and cluttered living spaces, often to the extent that these spaces can no longer be used for their intended use. For example, no room in the kitchen for cooking or no sleeping space in the bedroom. The clutter can spread into other rooms and may in some instances spill out to basements, garages and outdoors. In extreme cases this may cause risk of health or fire and may come to the attention of neighbours or local authorities. 

Commonly hoarded items include: newspapers, magazines, old clothing, bags, books, cardboard, cartons. Bigger items such as computers, printers, appliances, or metal parts can be hoarded but virtually any items can be hoarded. Hoarding ranges from mild to severe. In some cases, hoarding may not have much impact on your life, while in other cases it seriously affects your functioning on a daily basis. 

Hoarding symptoms can cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other areas of functioning. Other common features of hoarding include, indecisiveness, perfectionism, avoidance, procrastination, difficulty in planning and organising tasks, and distractibility.

People that hoard may not see it as a problem and may not report distress, making treatment challenging. However intensive treatment can help people to understand how their beliefs and behaviors can be changed so that they can live safer, more enjoyable lives.

WHEN TO SEE A HEALTH PROFESSIONAL?

Signs and symptoms may include:

  • Excessively acquiring items that are not needed or for which there's no space
  • Persistent difficulty throwing out or parting with your things, regardless of actual value
  • Feeling a need to save these items, and being upset by the thought of discarding them
  • Building up of clutter to the point where rooms become unusable
  • Having a tendency toward indecisiveness, perfectionism, avoidance, procrastination, and problems with planning and organizing

If you or a loved one has symptoms of hoarding, talk with a doctor or health professional as soon as possible. Some communities have agencies that help with hoarding problems. 

As hard as it might be, if your loved one's hoarding 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.

References:
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.

Deborah Stuart