Hoarding

Are you, a friend, or family member a hoarder?

Hoarding is havingso many things that you cannnot manage the clutter where you live and find it difficult or impossible to throw things away. You might hoard because you feel a strong need to keep things but your connection to these things can cause you distress and the impact of hoarding can affect your day-to-day life.  It is important to recognise the 'haording disorder' is a mental health problem that a doctor can diagnose, however, you might also experience hoarding as part of another mental or physical health problem. 

The difference between clutter and hoarding

Clutter and hoarding are often used interchangeably, but they are very different. Clutter is a less severe form of hoarding, but both should be taken seriously. Clutter and hoarding can affect your health and quality of life if left untreated.  Clutter can refer to disorganised piles of objects that collect over time in places meant for other uses, like tables, the floor, in the hallway, etc. Clutter is a common sign of hoarding, but it doesn't mean that someone has a hoarding disorder. You might go through busy periods of life where cleaning isn't a high priority and clutter builds up, but this isn't hoarding. 

Some of the differences between clutter and hoarding include excessive disorganised piles of objects and extreme difficulty getting rid of them. Location is also important in separating clutter and hoarding. You probably have clutter somewhere in your house right now. The basement, attic, or closet are common areas for clutter to accumulate.  If clutter starts to take over common areas in your home, this is a sginal of hoarding disorder. When your kitchen, living room, bedroom, and other living spaces become so overcome with clutter that your everyday activities are hard to carry out, this is a hallmark sign of a hoarding disorder.

Am I a hoarder?

If you hoard, you might:

• ·             Feel the need to get more things, even if you have a lot already
•    Have very strong positive feelings whenever you get more things
• ·             Feel very upset or anxious at the thought of throwing or giving things away because of your emotional attachment to them
• ·             Find it very hard to decide what to keep or get rid of
• ·             Find it hard to organise your things
• ·             Have so many things that you can't use parts of the place you live in – like not sleeping on the bed or using the sink
• ·             Have lots of disagreements with the people close to you about your things
• ·             Find it hard to pack for trips away, like a holiday – you might pack many more things than you really need, because you can't decide what's important

How is hoarding different from collecting?

 The main difference between collecting and hoarding is:

•         How you organise the items
•         How much it affects your life

Collecting normally involves saving certain types of items, such as vinyl records or stamps. You'd carefully choose them and normally order them in some way, such as in display cases or folders.

Hoarding is not normally as selective. It doesn't involve organisation in a way that makes the items easy to access or use. Someone who doesn't recognise they have a hoarding problem might call themselves a 'collector'. They might not see their behaviour as any different to collectors. 

Other types of hoarding

Hoarding does not only involve keeping objects in the place you live. There are other types which you might not recognise as hoarding at first. But they can make you feel the same way, for the same reasons.

Digital hoarding

Digital hoarding is when you make and keep a large number of digital files. Deleting files can cause you the same distress that other people who hoard might feel around physical objects. And you may want to keep these files for similar reasons. It might involve buying multiple hard drives and devices or using cloud storage or other software to keep the files. The types of files can include:

• Photos and videos
• Documents, such as Word files or spreadsheets
• Emails
• Texts or chat messages

Digital hoarding might start out as a way to reduce physical hoarding. For example, you might start taking pictures of objects instead of buying them. But you might end up causing similar problems as physical hoarding.

Effects of hoarding

Hoarding could affect you in lots of different ways. For example, you might:

• Struggle to find things you need. This can sometimes lead to money problems, for example if you can't keep on top of bills and letters.
• Avoid letting people into your space or have difficulty answering the door. This could mean you don't have visitors or get repairs done, which could lead to housing problems.
• Find it hard to keep yourself clean. For example, if you can't access your bathroom or washing machine.
• Find it hard to cook and eat food. This might be because you can't access your kitchen or there's no room inside your fridge.
• Be unable to use parts of your space. For example, being unable to sleep in your bed or walk along hallways because they're very cluttered.
• Be unable to quickly and safely leave in an emergency. For example, because your things are blocking doorways or escape routes.
• Distance yourself from others or have issues with people close to you. This might be because you don't want them to know about your situation, or because they say or do things that don't feel helpful to you.
• Feel ashamed or lonely. This could make you feel very isolated or affect your self-esteem.

You might also experience many of these effects if you live with someone who hoards.

Hoarding and stigma

Many of us have heard of hoarding, but this doesn't mean that we all understand it. The word 'hoarding' is sometimes used in the wrong way, such as:

• The media referring to panic buying as hoarding. This can happen during natural disasters or events like the coronavirus pandemic.
• People calling themselves 'hoarders' because they collect items or have more clutter than usual.

The media might also show hoarding in a very extreme way, which is different to many experiences. This can make it difficult to recognise that you're hoarding or tell other people about your experiences. People might also make hurtful assumptions about hoarding, such as thinking it means being unclean or lazy. Hoarding doesn't mean you need help tidying up – it's unhelpful if people try to do this for you. It can feel frustrating and upsetting if people don't understand this. but it's important to remember that you are not alone. It should be recognised that hoarding is different from a home that is cluttered.

The do’s and don’ts of helping someone with hoarding disorder

It can be difficult to know how to approach helping a loved one who hoards. They may not realize their behaviour is potentially unhealthy or dangerous, or they may know but feel uncomfortable addressing the situation with others. The following are do’s and don’ts of supporting a loved one with hoarding disorder. 

The do’s

While your loved one may experience the desire to hoard throughout their life, there are steps you can take to help someone experiencing hoarding disorder reclaim their space and improve their mental well-being. 

When providing support for hoarding disorder, do: 

• Encourage them to seek professional help. Therapy is considered the first-line treatment for hoarding disorder. You can encourage your loved one by helping them find a therapist and other resources in their community.
• Take the time to learn about hoarding disorder. Doing research on hoarding can help you understand the reasons your loved one may be keeping excess items and give you an idea of how best to support them. Look for credible sources like the Mayo Clinic, the American Psychological Association, and the Anxiety And Depression Association of America.
• Help out if they ask for assistance with their belongings. During or after receiving professional treatment, someone experiencing hoarding disorder may seek your assistance in managing the accumulation of clutter in their home, car, and other spaces. Help when you can or consider arranging for professional movers and cleaners to do the work if the task becomes too daunting.
• Listen to them and remain empathetic. Hoarding disorder is a mental illness that is not the fault of the individual experiencing it. Try to provide compassion and emotional support to your loved one and avoid viewing them only in terms of this mental health condition. Hoarding is not something a person chooses to do. Your support and openness can encourage your loved one to seek professional treatment more than judgment or criticism.
• Recognize progress. Hoarding doesn't happen overnight, and it likely won't be solved overnight. Encourage and praise your loved one if you see them attempting to clean or organize a small space or making the decision to talk to a professional. You can provide helpful motivation that may help them get on track and make meaningful progress.

The don’ts

If your loved one is experiencing hoarding disorder, they may feel extreme distress at the idea of getting rid of their possessions. This can make it challenging to address their behaviours in a tactful and effective manner.

When providing support for hoarding disorder, don’t:

• Remove things from their home without consent. It may be tempting to try to clean up your loved one’s space, but that could lead to severe emotional distress at the idea of losing valuable or important items. Throwing things away or getting rid of them without permission may exacerbate the feelings and behaviours the individual exhibits. 
• Expect the cleaning process or the healing process to happen overnight. It can take a long time for someone experiencing hoarding disorder to get to the point of having a house that is unsafe, and it may also take a long time to change both the environment and the behaviours that caused it.
• Enable their behaviour. While you may not want to see your loved one experience distress, adding to their clutter by buying or giving them things or taking them on shopping trips can be problematic. Instead try to provide support in other ways (e.g., spending time doing activities not related to consumption).
• Clean up after them. Organizing the space of someone experiencing hoarding disorder could keep them from addressing the deeper concerns that are leading to their behaviour. If they choose to clean up, you can help them do so. 
• Expect perfection.  As with many behavioural challenges, someone experiencing hoarding disorder is likely to experience setbacks even after receiving professional treatment. Try to remain understanding and continue showing them love and support during their journey.

When trying to support someone who hard issues with hoarding, or if struggle yourself, it is important to always be kind to yourself or the person throughout the whole process.  Being angry with yourself or a friend or loved one will only cause further frustration, and a likelihood that the issue will not move forward in a positive way.