Summary
- Unable to throw away worthless items
- Stockpiling items for no rational reason
- Unable to access areas of the house due to clutter
Hoarding involves gathering and saving items of little or no real value. In some cases, even animals. The result is a cluttered home and a disrupted lifestyle. Hoarding used to be a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It is now known as a separate disorder. A person with hoarding disorder strongly believes each item is or will be needed. The person becomes greatly troubled at the thought of getting rid of any of them.
What causes hoarding?
It is not clear what makes someone start to hoard things. She may have been raised in a cluttered house or have hoarding somewhere in her family history. It may be an overreaction to having been brought up in poverty. Sometimes it can be a response to a painful event like losing a loved one.
People with hoarding disorder can have problems with organizing things or making decisions. They may also have OCD or some other mental health issue.
When to get help
Having a cluttered room or house is not a cause for alarm. Hoarding disorder is much more than just being messy or collecting things. People with the disorder find it very hard to part with any of their possessions. Just thinking or talking about it can cause them to panic. This is because they have attached a sense of value on each item. Over time the amount of clutter begins to take over the person’s entire home and lifestyle.
Signs of hoarding disorder:
- Being unable to throw away items others consider worthless
- Believing buying more and more things will make one happy
- Believing useless or broken items will one day be needed
- Stockpiling items for no rational reason
- Not allowing others to touch items in your home
- Being unable to access areas of the house due to clutter
If left untreated, hoarding disorder will get worse. The person with the disorder will start to become less and less social. After a while, he may not allow anyone in his home. In extreme hoarding cases, he may be unable to access his own kitchen or bathroom.
While these problems are clear to others, the person who is hoarding may appear unconcerned. He is often either unaware that he needs help or is unwilling to seek it. It may be left to family or friends to encourage him to get the help he needs.
Do not threaten or attempt to remove items from the home yourself. This does not address the real issue and the clutter will soon return. Do not call an agency to remove the clutter unless you believe it is causing a serious health risk.
Help for hoarding
Hoarding is sometimes treated with antidepressants, but more often with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). It can help the person realize why she collects things and change her way of thinking. Slowly, she may be able to learn to let go of certain items. In time, it should be easier for her to throw more and more things away.
It is important that she chooses to discard the items herself. The therapist may need to make some onsite visits to her home to encourage this. He can also help her to better organize the things she chooses to keep. Once the hoarding is under control, a plan should be devised to prevent future issues. Through this plan, recovery is possible.
Resource
National Public Radio (NPR), “Hoarding Can Start Early, But Signs Are Hard To See In Teens” by Maanvi Singh www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/05/09/310722812/hoarding-can-start-early-but-signs-are-hard-to-see-for-teens
Summary
- Unable to throw away worthless items
- Stockpiling items for no rational reason
- Unable to access areas of the house due to clutter
Hoarding involves gathering and saving items of little or no real value. In some cases, even animals. The result is a cluttered home and a disrupted lifestyle. Hoarding used to be a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It is now known as a separate disorder. A person with hoarding disorder strongly believes each item is or will be needed. The person becomes greatly troubled at the thought of getting rid of any of them.
What causes hoarding?
It is not clear what makes someone start to hoard things. She may have been raised in a cluttered house or have hoarding somewhere in her family history. It may be an overreaction to having been brought up in poverty. Sometimes it can be a response to a painful event like losing a loved one.
People with hoarding disorder can have problems with organizing things or making decisions. They may also have OCD or some other mental health issue.
When to get help
Having a cluttered room or house is not a cause for alarm. Hoarding disorder is much more than just being messy or collecting things. People with the disorder find it very hard to part with any of their possessions. Just thinking or talking about it can cause them to panic. This is because they have attached a sense of value on each item. Over time the amount of clutter begins to take over the person’s entire home and lifestyle.
Signs of hoarding disorder:
- Being unable to throw away items others consider worthless
- Believing buying more and more things will make one happy
- Believing useless or broken items will one day be needed
- Stockpiling items for no rational reason
- Not allowing others to touch items in your home
- Being unable to access areas of the house due to clutter
If left untreated, hoarding disorder will get worse. The person with the disorder will start to become less and less social. After a while, he may not allow anyone in his home. In extreme hoarding cases, he may be unable to access his own kitchen or bathroom.
While these problems are clear to others, the person who is hoarding may appear unconcerned. He is often either unaware that he needs help or is unwilling to seek it. It may be left to family or friends to encourage him to get the help he needs.
Do not threaten or attempt to remove items from the home yourself. This does not address the real issue and the clutter will soon return. Do not call an agency to remove the clutter unless you believe it is causing a serious health risk.
Help for hoarding
Hoarding is sometimes treated with antidepressants, but more often with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). It can help the person realize why she collects things and change her way of thinking. Slowly, she may be able to learn to let go of certain items. In time, it should be easier for her to throw more and more things away.
It is important that she chooses to discard the items herself. The therapist may need to make some onsite visits to her home to encourage this. He can also help her to better organize the things she chooses to keep. Once the hoarding is under control, a plan should be devised to prevent future issues. Through this plan, recovery is possible.
Resource
National Public Radio (NPR), “Hoarding Can Start Early, But Signs Are Hard To See In Teens” by Maanvi Singh www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/05/09/310722812/hoarding-can-start-early-but-signs-are-hard-to-see-for-teens
Summary
- Unable to throw away worthless items
- Stockpiling items for no rational reason
- Unable to access areas of the house due to clutter
Hoarding involves gathering and saving items of little or no real value. In some cases, even animals. The result is a cluttered home and a disrupted lifestyle. Hoarding used to be a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It is now known as a separate disorder. A person with hoarding disorder strongly believes each item is or will be needed. The person becomes greatly troubled at the thought of getting rid of any of them.
What causes hoarding?
It is not clear what makes someone start to hoard things. She may have been raised in a cluttered house or have hoarding somewhere in her family history. It may be an overreaction to having been brought up in poverty. Sometimes it can be a response to a painful event like losing a loved one.
People with hoarding disorder can have problems with organizing things or making decisions. They may also have OCD or some other mental health issue.
When to get help
Having a cluttered room or house is not a cause for alarm. Hoarding disorder is much more than just being messy or collecting things. People with the disorder find it very hard to part with any of their possessions. Just thinking or talking about it can cause them to panic. This is because they have attached a sense of value on each item. Over time the amount of clutter begins to take over the person’s entire home and lifestyle.
Signs of hoarding disorder:
- Being unable to throw away items others consider worthless
- Believing buying more and more things will make one happy
- Believing useless or broken items will one day be needed
- Stockpiling items for no rational reason
- Not allowing others to touch items in your home
- Being unable to access areas of the house due to clutter
If left untreated, hoarding disorder will get worse. The person with the disorder will start to become less and less social. After a while, he may not allow anyone in his home. In extreme hoarding cases, he may be unable to access his own kitchen or bathroom.
While these problems are clear to others, the person who is hoarding may appear unconcerned. He is often either unaware that he needs help or is unwilling to seek it. It may be left to family or friends to encourage him to get the help he needs.
Do not threaten or attempt to remove items from the home yourself. This does not address the real issue and the clutter will soon return. Do not call an agency to remove the clutter unless you believe it is causing a serious health risk.
Help for hoarding
Hoarding is sometimes treated with antidepressants, but more often with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). It can help the person realize why she collects things and change her way of thinking. Slowly, she may be able to learn to let go of certain items. In time, it should be easier for her to throw more and more things away.
It is important that she chooses to discard the items herself. The therapist may need to make some onsite visits to her home to encourage this. He can also help her to better organize the things she chooses to keep. Once the hoarding is under control, a plan should be devised to prevent future issues. Through this plan, recovery is possible.
Resource
National Public Radio (NPR), “Hoarding Can Start Early, But Signs Are Hard To See In Teens” by Maanvi Singh www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/05/09/310722812/hoarding-can-start-early-but-signs-are-hard-to-see-for-teens