Guest blog by Sheri Leasure, LCSW
As the weather gets warmer, we will begin to see signs of garage sale season beginning. Many people take advantage of kinder spring weather to open their windows and let in fresh air. Others clean out their houses, garages, and attics to purge excessive or no longer wanted belongings. For some, clearing out extra clutter feels cleansing, like a fresh start. For others, the very idea of getting rid of possessions causes intense distress. If you find yourself wondering, “Is this just clutter or am I a hoarder?” you may want to keep reading.
Am I a Hoarder?
According to the American Psychological Association, hoarding disorder affects about 2.5 percent of the population. Clinicians diagnose you with hoarding disorder when you exhibit the following symptoms:
- Distress about throwing out possessions is persistent rather than situational and is not dependent on the item’s value. For instance, if you inherit a writing desk from your deceased grandfather, you may be extremely distressed at the idea of giving it away even though you do not need it. This distress is expected since the item is sentimental and associated with your love for your grandfather. If, however, you are distressed when thinking of throwing out almost anything you possess, even things like used Q-tips, then you may be suffering from hoarding disorder.
- The struggle to let go of possessions results in a living space that is full of stuff and no longer useful for living in. A pile of laundry on your chair results in you not being able to use the chair. If, however, you occasionally clean off the chair and most of your furniture can still be used for sitting or the purpose intended, you may just struggle with clutter and disorganization. However, if your entire bedroom is so full of items that you can no longer use it as a bedroom and must sleep elsewhere, you may be struggling with hoarding disorder.
- The distress experienced when trying to get rid of stuff is more intense than one would normally anticipate and causes functional impairment. If you decide to donate your grandfather’s writing desk to a local organization, you may feel sad about it and even shed some tears as you watch them haul it away. However, that sadness will fade. You will go back into your somewhat cluttered home without any effect on your social life, work life, or relationships with friends and neighbors. If, however, your neighbors have called the health department due to the smell of my accumulating trash and you cannot walk around my space without the risk of falling, you may be suffering from hoarding disorder.
- The hoarding is not from an organic brain disease, neurodevelopmental disorder, or brain injury. Damage to certain parts of the brain has been associated with accumulating excessive possessions. These conditions are separate from hoarding disorder and require different treatments altogether under the care of a qualified neurologist.
Keep in mind that like most conditions, hoarding disorder exists on a spectrum. For hoarding behaviors to constitute a clinical diagnosis, they must be causing impairment to your life and functioning. That is a very subjective standard, however, and it is always best to seek treatment if you feel you may need it.
Related Reading: ADHD or Anxiety symptoms, or Both
How Hoarding Starts
Most people who suffer from hoarding disorder also have depression, social anxiety, OCD, or another mood or anxiety disorder. Many also begin hoarding after a traumatic event like losing a loved one or a natural disaster resulting in the loss of home and/or possessions. Some people who moved around many times while growing up struggle with hoarding as adults.
Isolation is also a common factor for those who struggle with hoarding. Single people over 50 are most likely to be diagnosed with hoarding disorder. These individuals often live alone and struggle with depression, which makes them feel like staying away from other people. Social isolation, however, can increase hoarding behaviors. Because there is no one else in the living space to complain about that space getting cluttered, an entire home can quickly become disorganized and filled with stuff. There is also no one else present to challenge the thoughts about items that lead to hoarding (e.g. “I may need this in the future”).
Related Reading: Executive Functioning and ADHD
Interventions for Hoarding Disorder
Standard hoarding interventions include therapies like Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT). In a CBT session with a therapist, you explore the thoughts and emotions that arise when you try to throw something out. Together with the therapist, you identify how to challenge or reframe thoughts to reduce distress and increase your ability to resist the urge to keep the item.
For example, if you are struggling with hoarding, you might notice that every time you try to throw something out, your automatic thoughts are, “What if I need this later? What if they stop making this brand?” A CBT therapist can help you reframe these thoughts: “I can get more in the future if I need it. If they stop making this brand, there will be another kind. I have had to change brands before and still managed to get by.”
With practice and the support of the therapist, you will slowly be able to resist accumulating possessions and be more willing to let go of unneeded items. You can learn to get better at making decisions, organizing your space, and asking for help from supportive people in your life to improve your living space. Sometimes the therapist will ask you to engage in family sessions to build support for you outside of therapy.
If traumatic experiences underlie the hoarding disorder, you may need treatments specifically developed for trauma. Somatic Experiencing (SE) helps complete self-protective responses that didn’t get to happen in the trauma. It also helps those with trauma learn to manage the way their trauma affects their bodies. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) helps decrease the emotional distress caused by painful memories thus making you feel better. Resolving underlying trauma can remove the distress fueling hoarding behavior, as well as increase the ability to resist hoarding urges through having increasing capacity.
If you look around at your own home and wonder if you are affected by hoarding disorder, consider seeking treatment. Your life doesn’t have to be constrained by hoarding. Help is available.
Resources for People Struggling With Hoarding
For more information on mental health topics related to hoarding visit the Psychology Today website and check out the following article: Hoarding Disorder | Psychology Today
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, trained therapists at Life Care Wellness are here to help! Please reach out to us at our Glen Ellyn, Chicago (Jefferson Park), Yorkville, or Sycamore offices to connect with a therapist today.
Sheri Leasure, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with training in Internal Family Systems, Somatic Experiencing, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Mindfulness, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). She sees clients in the Glen Ellyn and Sycamore offices, as well as by telehealth.
