How to avoid being a compulsive hoarder

By: Erin Sherbert

What is compulsive hoarding? Compulsive hoarding is defined as the acquisition of and failure to discard a large number of possessions that ... would appear to be useless or of limited value. This behavior is an attempt to postpone or decrease distress or anxiety.

What are the signs of compulsive hoarding? Piles of paper, containers, clothing, plastic bags, mail, books and food are some of the items that are commonly hoarded.

How does someone become a hoarder? A person becomes a compulsive hoarder when they acquire or fail to discard to the point that their homes become unsafe [and] unhealthy, and their behavior presents problems in functioning at home, work or in the community..." More

Hoarding: When trash takes over

By Veronica Rocha, Burbank Leader

"...People who cannot function will let their bed or kitchen be overtaken with clutter, he said. They won’t use their dining room table because there is no room to sit down and eat. Some hoard animals.

Extreme hoarders often exhibit other mental illnesses and even gather trash or feces, Boone said. They often suffer from schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, Alzheimer’s or dementia.

Hoarding has been a significant problem in America since at least the Great Depression, when saving goods was for survival...

...Hoarding became such a costly problem that Los Angeles County created a task force in 1997 devoted to helping local governments deal with the issue.

Hoarding poses health and safety risks, such as fires. Cases of hoarding are often discovered when police or fire officials are called to the home.

The task force tries to educate cities and the public on how to handle hoarding cases, how to solve them and how to get intervention for hoarders, said Danny Redmond, a senior mental health counselor and registered nurse for the county’s Department of Mental Health..." More

Analysis: The Psychology Behind Item Collecting And Achievement Hoarding

By Kris Graft, Gamasutra

You may recall the eccentric Collyer Brothers. Homer and Langley, heirs of one of New York’s oldest families, lived in a Manhattan mansion in the first half of the 1900s. There, the two became reclusive, boarding up their windows and accumulating over 100 tons of what most would classify as “junk” until the entire house was packed to the ceiling – anything from bundles of newspapers to the chassis of a Model T to 14 full-sized pianos.They were compulsive hoarders, and I think there’s a little bit of Collyer in all of us gamers...

One of the aspects of gaming today that most obviously appeals to our inner hoarder are Achievements. We joke around that video game “Achievements” are a misnomer, because what is it exactly that you’re achieving, other than sitting on your ass all day trying to kill 100,000 Locusts in Gears of War 2?.. ." More

Compulsive hoarding

Compulsive hoarding (or pathological hoarding) is the acquisition of, and failure to use or discard, such a large number of seemingly useless possessions that it causes significant clutter and impairment to basic living activities such as mobility, cooking, cleaning, showering or sleeping. A person who engages in compulsive hoarding is commonly said to be a "pack rat", in reference to that animal's apparent fondness for material objects.

It is not clear whether compulsive hoarding is a condition in itself, or simply a symptom of other related conditions. Several studies have reported a correlation between hoarding and the presence and/or severity ofobsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Hoarding behaviour is also related to obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). Hoarding unnecessary possessions may be referred to as syllogomania or disposophobia..."  More