Makitaunu Hoarding
Hoarding is when collecting and saving things gets out of control. People with a hoarding disorder are unable to get rid of items most people see as worthless. It can make daily life difficult for both the person hoarding and those around them.
Problems caused by hoarding
People with a hoarding disorder will have a home full of clutter. This can:
- interfere with their relationships
- stop them doing everyday tasks
- stop them moving around their home
- cause a fire or health hazard.
Signs of a hoarding disorder
Collecting things or having a messy house does not mean you have a hoarding disorder. People who are collectors often have their items well organised.
But if you hoard, you will often have an overwhelming amount of stuff that is very disorganised. You may get very upset or anxious at the thought of throwing or giving things away.
Hoarded items are often things that others would see as worthless, but any type of object can be accumulated.
Hoarding items becomes a disorder when all 3 of these factors are present:
- you accumulate and find it difficult to discard objects
- the objects clutter your living spaces and stop you from using the rooms as intended
- excessive clutter in living spaces has become a health and safety risk.
Understanding someone with a hoarding disorder
Around half the people who hoard do not realise their accumulation of objects is a problem. Without this insight, the person sees no need to change. For whānau members, this lack of insight can be distressing and lead to conflict.
It may help you understand the disorder by considering how we all value some objects in our life for different reasons. We would be upset if someone else threw out something we were saving that was precious or useful to us. People with a hoarding disorder often feel this way about all the things they are accumulating.
Getting help for hoarding
People who have a hoarding disorder need to be supported to make changes at their own pace. A big, forced clean-up can be very traumatic. Often the person will start accumulating things again afterwards.
If you are concerned about yourself or someone else who may be hoarding, talk to your healthcare provider.
Sometimes clutter can be part of another mental health issue such as:
- severe anxiety
- depression
- obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
Someone may be accumulating clutter because they have a cognitive or physical impairment that makes it difficult for them to sort out what to discard. They may benefit from support for these other issues as well.
If you or your family member has a hoarding disorder, you can get support to change your behaviour. You can also get treatment for any underlying problems if needed.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is the recommended talking therapy for hoarding. It focuses on how your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes affect your feelings and behaviour.
A psychologist or counsellor can provide talking therapy and emotional support.
Together with your therapist, you might:
- examine your beliefs about needing to keep things
- try to understand why it is hard for you to get rid of things
- learn skills to help you cope with difficult feelings.
You can find information about accessing mental health support on the Mental Health Foundation website.
Accessing mental health services — Mental Health Foundation (external link)
Skills training focuses on:
- helping you learn how to organise your belongings
- how to problem solve to prevent further clutter building up
- how to make decisions about what to keep and what to remove.
It can help to have your therapist or healthcare provider visit you at home, so they can understand more about your situation and help you work out how to make changes.
Resources
Watch a playlist of 6 videos explaining what hoarding is, tips for living with someone who hoards and information on understanding and treating hoarding.
Hoarding videos — Dr Gail Steketee Boston University (external link)