Is Hoarding a Form of OCD?
Regardless of the type of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) you have, they all involve problems managing compulsive behaviors or ignoring obsessions. OCD encompasses a large number of conditions, including hoarding disorder. Finding difficulty discarding items often revolves around an obsessive behavior toward possessions or a compulsive desire to continue gathering more. Knowing when your passion has turned into hoarding is the most important way to get the help you need, so let's find out how to identify hoarding and make it easier to part with possessions you don’t need.
Understanding Hoarding — The Basics
Hoarding disorder is defined by most as a difficulty parting with or throwing away possessions that usually serve no purpose. Individuals often experience a strong feeling of anxiety or stress at the thought of getting rid of their items. Eventually, hoarding leads to cramped living conditions, narrow pathways, and overall unhealthy living. Many individuals find themselves unable to use parts of their home, instead valuing these items over comfort and stability.
Hoarding is classified on the OCD spectrum, making it a distinct condition on its own. However, for many people with hoarding disorders, their behavior seems normal, so getting them support in the form of a cognitive behavioral therapy program or a treatment center can be an arduous task. But this intensive treatment is the best way for hoarders to find the right support to enjoy and safer and healthier experience.
The Signs and Symptoms of Hoarding
While hoarding is challenging to diagnose initially due to how slowly things build up, the signs often begin early in adulthood or during the teenage years. People start to save items that may not mean much, eventually resulting in a desire or comfort with living in clutter and adding more to the collection — even as it makes living harder. As you age, treating the symptoms becomes harder and harder, and individuals begin avoiding their family and friends or even having repair workers in their homes. By the time hoarding is usually addressed, the at-home environment is filled with clutter caused by items built up over the years.
Here are some additional signs and symptoms of hoarding disorder:
Keeping items you don’t need or have space for.
Difficulty throwing out or parting with products, regardless of their importance.
Anger or frustration over the thought of parting with particular items.
Inability to use certain rooms or home appliances because of clutter.
An avoidance or constant delay of certain decisions.
Hoarding vs. Collecting
For many people, differentiating between hoarding and collecting is the difference between getting the right help and letting hoarding get out of control. Collecting is very different from hoarding, as it usually involves carefully choosing and organizing a specific set of items. Things like comic books, video games, or vintage clothing could all be products you collect that won’t impact your daily life.
Hoarders don’t sort their items or prioritize a specific product. Instead, they often hoard things that provide little or no value, including pieces of paper, old furniture, broken toys, and other minor products.
Getting Treatment at the First Sign of Trouble
A diminished quality of life is one of the many complicating factors with hoarding. The lack of space around a home is common amongst most hoarders, leading to dangerous and unhealthy living conditions. It can also lead to a ton of resentment and anger within people with hoarding disorder, affecting family members and relationships and even leading to separation or divorce. So what can you do?
Prevention of hoarding disorders is difficult in large part because very little is understood about why it starts. But like many other mental health conditions, getting help at the first sign of trouble is the key to overcoming the condition. When your daily life starts to suffer because of the things you’re collecting, turn to hoarding treatment centers like The FLOAAT Center for help. You’ll be in a controlled environment to help face your anxiety head-on and practice healthier methods of overcoming hoarding.
