Hoarding

An anti-hoarding, pro-rationing poster from the United States in World War II

Civil unrest or the threat of natural disasters may lead people to hoard foodstuffs, water, gasoline, and other essentials that they believe will soon be in short supply. Survivalists, also known as preppers, often stockpile large supplies of these items in anticipation of a large-scale disaster event.[2][3]

Other items commonly hoarded include coins considered to have an intrinsic value, such as those minted in silver, or gold, as well as collectibles, jewelry, precious metals[4] and other luxuries.

According to previous studies, Anthropomorphism, or the propensity to attribute human characteristics to non-human items, has been associated with hoarding. Additionally, the findings stated that younger individuals had more substantial hoarding and anthropomorphizing cognitions and behaviors, and women demonstrated stronger early anthropomorphizing behaviors compared to males.[5]

The first documented case of Hoarding was in the Collyer Mansion by the brothers Homer and Langley in 1947, New York. Their mansion became an attraction in 1938 because of the extreme level of accumulation and fortune found in their residence after their deaths.[6]

Apartment of a compulsive hoarder

Individuals who meet the diagnostic criteria for hoarding disorder experience feelings of anxiety or discomfort about discarding possessions they do not need. This discomfort arises from an emotional attachment to possessions and a strong belief that their possessions will be needed in the future. Possessions will take on a sentimental value that outweighs their functional value. This is no different from someone without hoarding disorder; the difference lies in the strength of this sentimental value and in how many items take on a sentimental value. For this reason, when discarding items, hoarders may feel like they are throwing away a part of themselves.[7]

In severe cases, a house may become a fire hazard (due to blocked exits and stacked papers) or a health hazard (due to vermin infestation, excreta and detritus from excessive pets, hoarded food and garbage, or the risk of stacks of items collapsing on the occupants and blocking exit routes).[8] Thus, hoarding affects more than just the owner of the objects, as the state of a hoarded house can have a negative affect on all occupants and even neighbors. Furthermore, individuals with hoarding disorder may have a quality of life as poor as those diagnosed with schizophrenia.[9] Eventually, the disorder increases family strain,[10] work impairment,[11] and the risk of serious medical conditions.[12]

Hoarding disorder begins at an average age of 13 years old. Studies show that men usually hoard more than women. Hoarding can run in families which means genetics play a role in developing hoarding behaviors. Also, this behavior can be developed due to life circumstances such as difficult losses, depression, financial crises, and living small which make it difficult for people to get rid of their belongings.[13]

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders[14] the symptoms of hoarding disorder include:

A. Persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their actual value.

B. This difficulty is due to a perceived need to save the items and to distress associated with discarding them.

C. The difficulty of discarding possessions results in the accumulation of possessions that congest and clutter active living areas and substantially compromise their intended use. If living areas are uncluttered, it is only because of the interventions of third parties (e.g., family members, cleaners, authorities).

D. The hoarding causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning (including maintaining a safe environment for self and others).

E. The hoarding is not attributable to another medical condition (e.g., brain injury, cerebrovascular disease, Prader-Willi syndrome).

F. The hoarding is not better explained by the symptoms of other mental disorders (e.g., obsessions in obsessive-compulsive disorder, decreased energy in major depressive disorder, delusions in schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder, cognitive deficits in major neurocognitive disorder, restricted interests in autism spectrum disorder).

• Tolin, David; Frost, Randy; Steketee, Gail (2007). Buried in Treasures: Help for Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-530058-1.
• Neziroglu, Fugen; Bubrick, Jerome; Yaryura-Tobias, Jose (2004). Overcoming Compulsive Hoarding: Why You Save & How You Can Stop. California: New Harbinger. ISBN 978-1-57224-349-1.
• Steketee, Gail; Frost, Randy (2006). Compulsive Hoarding and Acquiring: Workbook. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-531055-9.
• Steketee, Gail; Frost, Randy (2006). Compulsive Hoarding and Acquiring: Therapist Guide. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-530025-3.
• Steketee, Gail; Frost, Randy (2011). Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0547422558.
• Nolen-Hoeksema, Susan (2014). (ab)normal Psychology. Penn Plaza, New York: McGraw Hill Education. ISBN 978-0-07-803538-8.

• Photo guide for rating clutter from the International OCD Foundation
• US National Hoarding Resources listed by state