What is Compulsive Hoarding?

Compulsive hoarding, also known as hoarding disorder, is a disorder characterised by excessive acquisition of, or difficulty discarding common items such as newspapers, household goods and clothing, regardless of their actual value. This can lead to significant distress or harm in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning. 

Difficulty discarding possessions is a perceived need to save items and the distress associated with discarding them. Accumulation of possessions results in living spaces becoming cluttered to the point that their mental health or safety is compromised. 

Why someone may hoard

Emotional Irregularity

When a person suffers from depression and anxiety, they might start hoarding as a coping mechanism. Continuously acquiring unneeded items while at the same time not discarding any of their current possession is a behaviour demonstrated by people trying to overcome depression.

Perfectionism

Hoarders fear making the mistake of throwing away items they think might be valuable. This appears strange when you see a house full of clutter and rubbish. A hoarder’s perfectionist tendency tells them they need the clutter.

Emotional Attachment

When a person becomes too attached emotionally to his/her possessions, they try to hold on to them even when they don’t need them or after acquiring new ones. Compulsive hoarders become too attached emotionally to their belongings to let them go.

Difficulty Processing Information

Compulsive hoarders have difficulty or the inability to categorise items into valuable and non-valuable. So everything to them has the same significant value, meaning they can’t recognise items that should be disposed of.

A Personal Trauma

Experts believe that there is a link between experiencing personal trauma and the onset of compulsive hoarding. Emotional distress might stretch back to childhood, but hoarding normally starts at the age of 13 years old.

Dread of Waste

Hoarders feel they have the responsibility of holding on and keeping items that might become useful one day. They think that discarding items now might lead to them needing new ones in the future for the same purpose, so they keep them even though these items are usually never used.

The good news is that hoarders can make changes within their lives and begin to live life clutter-free. There are specialised therapists who work with hoarders to help them to feel comfortable giving things away and living clutter-free. 

How can we help?

At Our House Clearance we’re not here to judge anyone’s lifestyle, we are experienced in dealing with large scale clearances and we are here to help to declutter any type of hoarding situation in the most understanding and discreet way. 

If you or someone you care about is in a hoarding situation, we can help; contact us today!