People with hoarding disorder have a difficult time getting rid of (parting) their possessions due to a perceived need to save all items. They believe that one day, it might be useful or valuable and feel that it carries sentimental value.
It’s important to note that hoarding is not the same as collecting. Collectors acquire possessions in an intentional, targeted, and organized manner with specific goals like displaying items. Unlike hoarders however who lack a consistent theme, are impulsive and have no specific plan in regards to their items which affects functional living.
Symptoms
- Inability to throw away possessions even if they are un-used or lost all its value
- Experiences severe anxiety even when attempting to discard items
- Usually faces great difficulty in organizing or categorizing possessions which leads to clutter and a messy-looking environment
- May feel stressed, overwhelmed, or embarrassed by their hoarding habits.
- Obsessive thoughts: fearing running out of an item or needing it later on
- Obsessive actions: checking the trash for accidentally discarded objects
- Loss of living space, social isolation, financial difficulties, and health hazards are all consequences of hoarding obsessions behaviors.
Prevalence
According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the prevalence rate of hoarding disorder is estimated to be around 2.6% with equal frequencies among men and women. Maybe a slightly higher percentage in women in certain regions.
Prognosis
Unfortunately, there isn’t a known treatment for hoarding disorder that can completely show significant improvement. Yet, the earlier you can detect the symptoms, the better it will be in managing them. A combination of psychotherapy and medication can help alleviate the symptoms and develop skills to deal with the hoarding habits.
When to seek help
We encourage you to seek help as soon as you suspect that you, or someone you know have similar symptoms of hoarding disorder. The sooner we understand the nature of these symptoms, the better it’ll be in managing them and reducing the impact it might have later on. If you already know someone with hoarding disorder, we recommend professional treatment with a mental health provider. They can help create a better, livable, constructive lives and manage symptoms accordingly. Lastly, we know that sometimes people tend to read symptoms associated with a certain disorder and claim that “I do that, I have this etc.”. When this happens, just remember that although we may share similar features with the symptoms listed, they have to be recurrent, persistent, and affect everyday job tasks greatly to be diagnosed as a disorder. They are rare and chronic, but help is always reachable and effective.
Treatment
Psychotherapy can help treat symptoms of hoarding disorder by decreasing their acquisition, saving, and clutter caused by their possessions.
Specifically, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can help create a gradual learning experience to discard items that are unnecessary in the lives of the hoarder. This can happen by learning new skills to improve organization, relaxation, and decision-making processes. CBT can also help diminish their exaggerated perceived need to save these possessions.
Medications can also be used such as antidepressants to treat hoarding disorder, yet a mental health care provider has to prescribe these medications depending on the case at hand.
