Hoarding Disorder: An Introduction
IceCream4IceCream
July 20th, 2021
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Hoarding Disorder is a Mental Health Condition which—like BDD, BFRBs, and OCD—is categorised in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Version 5 (DSM-V; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) under the category OCD and related conditions.
Image Credits: All credits to the illustrator Yuko Shimizu. I don't own this image. Posted by Nautilus.
You might have a relative or family member who you believe is a "hoarder" but (a) nobody should be labelled that way, and (b) it is only diagnosed if it causes significant distress and dysfunction. It's not just about having too many things... the extent of hoarding behaviour is such that a person is unable to use their living or work spaces.
Those struggling with Hoarding Disorder essentially stock up on objects that might be perceived as holding no value, but these people struggle intensely with letting go of belongings. This is because (a) they might believe that they need these things they're hoarding or (b) they experience extreme discomfort/anxiety if they try to throw away objects.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, some other symptoms include:
1. Challenges with classifying and organising one's belongings
2. Problems deciding what they should hold on to and how to store objects
3. Fears that others will touch their items which they treasure deerly
4. Feeling embarassed or like everything is too much with reference to their belongings.
5. Recurrent obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours: e.g. worries that one won't have enough of an item/that one shouldn't let go of something.
6. Impact on various domains of one's life: financial stress, health risks, social withdrawal, disrupted relationships with others.
What has your experience of Hoarding been like? Is there anything you think people without Hoarding Disorder should know?
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Image Credits: All credits to the illustrator Yuko Shimizu. I don't own this image. Posted by Nautilus.
You might have a relative or family member who you believe is a "hoarder" but (a) nobody should be labelled that way, and (b) it is only diagnosed if it causes significant distress and dysfunction. It's not just about having too many things... the extent of hoarding behaviour is such that a person is unable to use their living or work spaces.
Those struggling with Hoarding Disorder essentially stock up on objects that might be perceived as holding no value, but these people struggle intensely with letting go of belongings. This is because (a) they might believe that they need these things they're hoarding or (b) they experience extreme discomfort/anxiety if they try to throw away objects.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, some other symptoms include:
1. Challenges with classifying and organising one's belongings
2. Problems deciding what they should hold on to and how to store objects
3. Fears that others will touch their items which they treasure deerly
4. Feeling embarassed or like everything is too much with reference to their belongings.
5. Recurrent obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours: e.g. worries that one won't have enough of an item/that one shouldn't let go of something.
6. Impact on various domains of one's life: financial stress, health risks, social withdrawal, disrupted relationships with others.
What has your experience of Hoarding been like? Is there anything you think people without Hoarding Disorder should know?
Keep a look out for Icebreakers, Check Ins, Games, Forum, Discussions, and more!
Subscribe to this post to hear about our latest events, or check out the Community Calendar!
Interested in following the Support Plus sub-community? Join our Tag List and subscribe to the sub-community here!
Want to join the Support Plus Leadership Team? Express your interest here!
For general feedback about the sub-community, we're all ears.
For all other enquiries, feel free to message jovialButterfly6752 .
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@Optimisticempath
Thanks so much for reaching out! Coincidentally, there is another post about this very topic: https://www.7cups.com/forum/SupportPlus_205/HoardingSupport_1098/MessyCollectororHoardingDisorder_248340/. Hope that helps
Thanks so much for reaching out! Coincidentally, there is another post about this very topic: https://www.7cups.com/forum/SupportPlus_205/HoardingSupport_1098/MessyCollectororHoardingDisorder_248340/. Hope that helps
