ARE YOU A HOARDER? WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS?

My clients often ask me, fearfully, if they are hoarders. Most are not. When I describe a hoarder’s tendencies, they cringe. People who hoard are unjustly judged and misunderstood. “Hoarding” has become a dirty word. To say it is a misunderstood symptom of deeper disorders is an understatement. Before I try to simplify the varying degrees of hoarding performed by different personality types, I ask that you not judge these brilliant and sensitive individuals. Hoarding is a psychological problem that cannot be cured; it can, however, benefit from love, nurturing, medication, support and therapy.
There are many reasons people hoard, so I will provide just a brief list:
✦Their parents were hoarders
✦Their parents didn’t allow them to keep or become sentimentally attached to anything
✦They suffer from severe depression
✦They suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder
✦They suffer from obsessive compulsive personality disorder
✦They suffer from ADD/ADHD
✦They have filled their lives with so many things, there is no room for household upkeep
✦They don’t want to allow anyone into their home, so they create a home that is not welcoming to strangers
✦The hoarding starts slowly, but then creeps up, takes control and becomes so overwhelming that they don’t know where to begin. As a result, they can’t see the mess anymore. Only after something disastrous occurs—or they tire of not having a “normal” healthy life—do they make a change.
✦They were once organized but became ill, and to comfort themselves, they buy things. The hoarding becomes a compulsive act they cannot control.
To further study the psychological reasons for hoarding, read the following books: "Messy No More", by Sandra Felton, or "Conquering Chronic Disorganization" by one of my personal heroes, Judith
Kolberg, founder of the national study group on chronic disorganization.
The characteristics of a hoarder are the following:
✦They have extreme difficulty throwing anything away
✦Piles are strewn everywhere, making it difficult to move through the space
✦Rooms are so full of “stuff” that they are sometimes uninhabitable or hard to enter
✦Hoarders have favorites, such as newspapers,
magazines, clothes, books, tin foil, shoes, trash (such as soda cans, wine bottles, unopened mail), intact parcels, an overabundance of crafting supplies, sporting goods, food, etc.
✦Sometimes hoarders have more than five animals in their homes
✦Sometimes they arrange items obsessively in rows and other times, they pile everything pell-mell so there is no way of knowing what is there.
✦They haven’t had anyone over in years for fear of being judged. Hoarding is also a way to withdraw from society. I compare it to creating a protective cocoon from the outside world.
✦Burnt-out light bulbs have not been changed
✦Unwashed dishes remain in the sink for weeks at a time
✦Clutter has amassed at the entrance to the home.
(Often there are plenty of bins and tools leftover from past organizational attempts)
✦Boxes piled to the ceiling haven’t been touched in years.
Remember this list the next time you wonder if you are a hoarder. If more than five items apply to you, seek help from a professional organizer who works with hoarders. And please, if hoarding is not your issue, have compassion for those who suffer from it.