What is Hoarding Disorder?
Hoarding is when the way a person acquires, collects and store things in a way that interferes with day to day life.
Reviewed by Consultant Director, Lorna Wykes.
We believe hoarding should be managed in a safe & sustainable way. It’s an approach that helps us work successfully with people suffering from hoarding disorder
Hoarding disorder is a term that refers to individuals that collect and acquire lots of items and find it exceedingly difficult to stop acquiring, to give away or throw out belongings regardless of their value or use. Most people will have personal items that they consider special and will want to save things because they could come in useful in the future.
The impacts of hoarding disorder
Hoarding can have an impact on all areas of an individual’s life and those close to them
Often those who hoard will have strong beliefs about needing to keep things and may be overly attached to their items, suggestions to give away or throw out items may cause severe anxiety and worry.
Depending on the severity of the situation Hoarding can impact the individual’s ability to move around their home, access areas and have people in their property. This can mean that relationships become challenging, they may be at an increased risk of isolation and feeling lonely, and difficulties in having repairs may mean that living conditions become untenable affecting their psychical health and quality of life.
Getting help for Hoarding
A person may or may not realise they have a hoarding condition
Things To Remember
- Hoarding is a mental health condition
- Take time to look at reliable information
- Not all hoarders collect rubbish and worthless items
- Speak to the person you are concerned about and listen to their views
- Pressuring the person to tidy is unlikely to help
- Consider underlying causes and reasons that a person may be struggling
How we can help
General symptoms, avoidance symptoms & hyper-arousal symptoms
Are You Worried you have a problem with hoarding?
Try answering the following questions as honestly as you can:
- Have you been unable to throw away possessions?
- Have you experienced severe anxiety or upset when attempting to discard items?
- Do you experience indecision about what to keep or where to put things?
- Do you have strong urges to keep acquiring more items?
- Do you feel distressed, overwhelmed or embarrassed by your possessions?
- Are you afraid of other people touching items?
- Have you experienced any of the following in relation to keeping or acquiring possessions: loss of living space, social isolation, family or marital discord or financial difficulties?
We're Here To Help
What To Do If you think you might have a Hoarding Disorder
Recognising that you have a problem and seeking help can be challenging, however it is the first step to improve your mental health and to start working on managing your condition. Safely exploring the causes of hoarding whilst setting achievable goals to improve your living environment is far more effective than simply being encouraged to tidy.
Often in these circumstances you may feel embarrassed or ashamed because of your condition. We believe in providing non judgemental support, working at your pace and through therapy address the underlying causes of hoarding. It may be that you have experienced loss, trauma or other difficult life events that have led to your current circumstances. Through building a collaborative relationship with your therapist they will help you to safely work through these issues.
