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Hoarding Disorder: What It Is, Who Is Affected, and How It Can Be Treated

No one likes to think about neighbors, friends or loved ones living in the midst of excessive clutter, and, worse yet, suffering simply because they have too much stuff. This is, however, the situation for many individuals with hoarding disorder (HD), individuals who often neglect to seek treatment or withdraw from the therapy that might change their lives.

Definition

            What is hoarding disorder? Wheaton et al. (2012) defined it as a compulsion to acquire material objects and an inability to get rid of these objects to the extent that the hoarder’s ability to use and function within their living space is impaired. The hoarder acquires an abnormal quantity of goods in a variety of ways; according to one study, women are most likely to obtain these goods by shopping, “whereas men were more likely to report collecting free items and stealing” (Kress et al., 2016, p. 84). The hoarder then develops “intense emotional attachment to possessions” (UNSW, 2019, 0:32). According to Gilliam and Tolin (2010), this attachment is manifested in a refusal to get rid of possessions, an inability to distinguish between the valuable and the worthless, difficulty in decision making, and a high level of anxiety or even grief when an object is thrown away. The hoarder’s home can become so filled with possessions that the usable space is limited to narrow passages through stacks of furniture, appliances, boxes, papers, and garbage, with no room for everyday household functions (Gilliam & Tolin, 2010).

HD as a Compulsive Disorder

HD was formerly considered an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) because of the hoarder’s compulsion to acquire objects (When Keeping, 2011). It differs from OCD, however, in that people with OCD tend to be aware of their dysfunction, while people with HD commonly do not feel that there is anything wrong with their behavior (Gilliam & Tolin, 2010).