When Does Hoarding Become A Problem?

Some of us may find it difficult in getting rid of items in our homes, or enjoy collecting items, for future use, but when does it become a problem?

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) classifies Hoarding Disorder as a distinct disorder. Its key features are classified by one’s extreme difficulty in discarding unnecessary and seemingly useless possession, resulting in personal distress or when the clutter creates difficulties for a person’s home unsafe to walk through.

Hoarding disorder is estimated to affect 2% of the world’s population. Studies have shown that patients with hoarding disorder have abnormal activity in the frontal lobe; which is in charge of decision-making, which is also a cause for severe emotional stress. Moreover, compulsive hoarders tend to personify and symbolize the hoarded items; attaching meaning to each item, making it more difficult to discard.

However, the more they accumulate, the more disconnected they are from their peers and the world. Friends and family may fear going to their homes from the excessive amount of clutter; when confronted with the issue, the person with the disorder may find the thought of cleaning possessions discomfort and dreadful.

The hoarder may feel that accumulating and retaining useless items provides a sense of security and may fail to recognize that hoarding behavior is an issue. So, how do we treat hoarding disorder? Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has proved promising results. CBT in treating hoarding disorders counters the patient's cognitive beliefs that cause the need to accumulate and retain useless possessions and trains the skills necessary for discarding and sorting them.