Trauma and loss You might be able to link the start of your hoarding to a traumatic period in your life. This could include: Being abused, bullied or harassed, including experiencing racism.
In many cases, stressful or traumatic events, such as divorce or the death of a loved one, are associated with the onset of hoarding symptoms. People with hoarding disorder feel a strong need to save their possessions. Other symptoms include: Inability to get rid of possessions.
Accumulating “stuff” fills the emotional hole left by the trauma and allows individuals to avoid dealing with the pain. Later removal of these items can trigger high levels of anxiety, especially if someone else gets rid of these items without the hoarder's permission.
Most often hoarding is the result of compounded trauma that impacts the sufferer's ability to make healthy decisions. They cling to their belongings because it gives them a sense of safety. Many hoarders often fail to take care of themselves as a result of the deep depression and distress that they feel.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) recognizes it as an obsessive-compulsive disorder. At the same time, some experts believe hoarding is an addiction, impulse control disorder, or personality trait.
Hoarding disorder is a mental health problem that a doctor can diagnose. But you might also experience hoarding as part of another mental or physical health problem. If you hoard, you might: Feel the need to get more things, even if you have a lot already.
Don't refer to their possessions as 'junk' or 'rubbish'. This shows that you don't understand their connection to the objects or why they want to keep them. They will be less likely to open up to you if you talk about their things this way. Don't focus on a total clean-up.
In conclusion, traumatic events or significant loss such as the death of a loved one, divorce, childhood traumas, natural disasters, and adult traumas can lead to hoarding disorder, and hoarders tend to have co-occurring mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and OCD.
People who have suffered an emotional trauma or a brain injury often find housecleaning an insurmountable task. Attention deficit disorder, depression, chronic pain and grief can prevent people from getting organized or lead to a buildup of clutter.
Touching Items Without Permission: Hoarders have an unnatural attachment to the things that they have gathered. If a person tries to move the possessions without the hoarder's consent, the hoarder can become emotionally upset or angry.
Signs of compulsive hoarding include always having clutter, showing emotional distress disposing of items, not inviting others over, having a shopping addiction, not allowing others to touch or borrow their possessions, having multiple pets, and constantly talking about their collection.
As with most mental health disorders, hoarding disorder is a lifelong condition. However, the hoarding outlook doesn't have to be daunting. With treatment and the incorporation of coping mechanisms, someone with hoarding disorder can remain in recovery and feel comfortable in their home.
People with hoarding disorder have persistent difficulty getting rid of or parting with possessions due to a perceived need to save the items. Attempts to part with possessions create considerable distress and lead to decisions to save them.
Parents might feel glued to their "stuff." But hoarding can become child abuse. Children growing up with an alcoholic parent may feel neglected. When they get older, they may be furious that they had to live with a shameful secret.
Hoarders generally experience embarrassment about their possessions and feel uncomfortable when others see them. Their clutter often takes over functional living space, and they feel sad or ashamed after acquiring additional items.
Two of the most common forms are cat hoarding and dog hoarding. However, a person can hoard any animal.
Many factors may play a role, including personality traits and stressful life events. It is important to rule out dementia, depression and other mental health conditions that may be contributing to their hoarding behaviors.
Conclusions: Hoarding symptoms are associated with increased emotional contagion and decreased cognitive empathy. Empathy may be an avenue for understanding and treating interpersonal difficulties in hoarding disorder.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are most commonly used to treat hoarding disorder. A recent meta-analysis shows that treatment response to pharmacotherapy is similar to the response in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Hoarding behaviors can begin as early as the teenage years, although the average age of a person seeking treatment for hoarding is about 50. Hoarders often endure a lifelong struggle with hoarding. They tend to live alone and may have a family member with the problem.