Hoarding Disorder

• Melissa Ridenour

According to Teresa Week’s article, “Hoarding- Our Relationship with Stuff”, hoarding affects approximately 2 to 3% of the population who also suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Little was known about hoarding and hoarders, and, previous to the 1990”s, there was very little research on the disorder. Now interest in the disorder has increased among research scientists. Media coverage of hoarding has added to public awareness and interest among sufferers, their family members, and human service personnel who deal with the disorder.

Definition of Hoarders and Hoarding

Hoarding is the excessive collection of items. Those who hoard do not possess the ability to make themselves discard the items they collect. Excessive hoarding often creates such a cluttered and cramped living environment for the hoarders and their families that their homes may be filled to capacity. In extreme cases, their homes will have only narrow pathways winding through stacks of clutter. People with a hoarding disorder frequently fail to see it as a problem. The inability of hoarders to recognize hoarding as a problem makes their treatment difficult.

Types of Hoarding

According to the International OCD Foundation, there are three types of hoarding. The three types include OCD-based hoarding, hoarding in older adults, and animal hoarding...."  More