You can’t Take it with You, So why Hoard it?

On certain cable channels, there are programs featured to help people deal with the "stuff" they’ve collected over the years. Some suggest having a yard sale to get rid of in order to have a more organized house. While others recommend having three containers to separate items; one box for the keepers, one box for the trash and one box for donations to local charities. While these things may work for some people, they may not work for others. This can be a sign of hoarding. Hoarding is a disorder that is characterized by excessive collecting of items that are not needed for everyday living.

Hoarders will collect things to the point of their homes being filled "to the brim" and make their own living space cramped. The show, "Animal Cops" has featured animal hoarders - people who keep taking in animals to the point that they can’t care for them properly. Many times these animals are malnourished, kept in horrible living conditions or have diseases. Sometimes the animals have to be euthanized if the severity of the situation is to the point that the animal cannot be rehabilitated.

Hoarding is sometimes viewed as part of an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD.) However, some people only have a hoarder syndrome and are not obsessive compulsive. Treatment for hoarding and OCD are similar, but hoarding proves to be more difficult as the person being treated does not believe they have a problem.

People who hoard have things packed on every available space in a home - and when those spaces are filled, the items are stored in garages or vehicles even the yard. Emotional disorders and conflicting thoughts and behaviors can be outgrowths of hoarding. Some of these include, acquiring unneeded items, perfectionism, inability to discard items, difficult in making decisions, and procrastination to name a few. There are several risk factors, as well. Interestingly enough, family history plays into a risk factor as does age, and stressful live events. Most hoarders find it difficult to know what to do with an item, so rather than discard it they keep it.

To diagnose hoarding, there are three characteristics a counselor/psychologist looks for: First, having a large number of useless items, having significant distress and having an overly cluttered home. Treatment is very challenging and it is imperative that a psychologist trained with treating hoards be involved. The combination of psychotherapy and, drugs and medications seem to work best. However, this illness is very difficult to treat and oftentimes, takes a very long time to overcome.

Maybe the premise behind the cable shows or the animal cops show won’t work for you or a family member. However, it is important to seek medical help as soon as possible when hoarding becomes a safety or health concern, and let a trained psychologist/physician determine if there is a problem and begin treatment.

By Deborah Lambeth