How I found out

I had seen the show about hoarders called "hoarding: Buried alive" on TV but I never made the connection with my situation. Then one night about a year ago I was trying to clean my place but ended up doing not much and I was getting frustrated. So in this new era where information is at the tip of our fingers, I decided to google "cannot throw things away". I found out information about the hoarding disorder and I started to research on it. I quickly came to the conclusion that I had this mental disorder...

What is hoarding?

Hoarding disorder is a new field of study and before it was part of the OCD symptoms but recently it was included in the DSM5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).

Hoarding disorder is the name of a psychiatric condition that produces symptoms such as the compulsive urge to acquire unusually large amounts of possessions and an inability to voluntarily get rid of those possessions, even when they have no practical usefulness or monetary value. Until recently, mental health guidelines in the United States viewed hoarding as a specific form of another condition called obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, in line with recent findings from a number of reputable studies, the American Psychiatric Assn. designated the disorder as a distinct form of mental illness in May 2013.

from https://www.elementsbehavioralhealth.com/mental-health/dsm-v-hoarding-new-mental-disorder-diagnoses/

There is 2 category of hoarders, the active hoarders that buy or collect a lot of things and the passive hoarder that just accumulate stuff that comes in. I myself, fit in the passive category as I do no buy a lot but I do have a problem discarding and things still come in the house like the mail. One simple thing I did was to put a no publicity sticker and that got rid of the endless junk mail I was receiving that was pilling up in a room somewhere. For those that buy or acquire things, it is important to start working on the buying impulses. Dr. Randy Frost, the reference on the subject, worked with people on this matter by letting them walk by a store, watch the display window and then continue the walk. Then they would go inside the store, walk around a bit, and leave without buying. Finally they would go again in the store but this time they would take something they like in their hand, put it back where it was and then leave.

People hoard many things and it can be quite different, ranging from pets to just any objects with a particular color. I have not seen much on the topics but I'm sure there is also a lot of data hoarders out there too. This disorder is believed to have a genetic link and it make us see objects differently than other people. A normal person would see a pencil as something to write it but someone with the disorder would see plenty of other use. Most people realise they have this problem in their late adulthood when they get belongings from a relative that has past away and suddenly the house is overwhelmed. Other times it can be because of a downsize of the living space. Some individuals are also really good at hiding it in the closet but one day it start creeping out. Many people are affected by this and you probably never would think that when you see them in person. 2% to 5% of Americans are believed to be hoarders so there is a big chance that you know someone that is affected by this disorder or maybe you are even yourself.

Levels of hoarding

This shows the 5 levels of hoarding. There is also another picture with 9 levels but the difference between those is minor and most people don't see the difference .

What to do?

Now if you want to tackle the situation, first, you need to know that you have this problem. It might not be easy trying to help someone to understand that he has that disorder. You need try to reach the person in a calm and caring way because the individual affected might not react too well to that new reality you are trying to make him see. By learning what is the hoarding disorder you can get motivation which is crucial for recovery and treatment. There is some medication that can help with the anxiety but the healing comes with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Once you are motivated you can start making a plan to get rid of the clutter and start working. Throwing things away was hard for me as I was using an avoidance behavior which led to the accumulation. Part of the problem with discarding is that throwing an object away can cause a lot of questions. Leaving it there was my answer so I didn't have to deal with them. By understanding this and with the CBT, I'm happy to say that it get easier to clean as time goes by. Talking to other people who face the same situation has also helped me tremendously.

Hoarding often runs in families and can frequently accompany other mental health disorders, like depression, social anxiety, bipolar disorder, and impulse control problems. A majority of people with compulsive hoarding can identify another family member who has the problem.

Compulsive hoarders rarely recognize their problem. Generally, only after the hoarding becomes a problem with other family members is the problem discussed.

from http://psychcentral.com/lib/10-things-you-should-know-about-compulsive-hoarding/

Final thoughts

Discovering that I had this problem has been life changing for me. I'm not done putting order in my place but I'm sure I will be able to and I work on it every day. I hope this blog post can bring awareness to this problem and help some people.

from Modest Medusa comic strip
http://modestmedusa.com/comic/medusa-dont-clean/

Useful Links and ressources

Quiz to know if you are a hoarder

• http://www.healthcommunities.com/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/hoarding-quiz-hoarder.shtml

Chat support group

• http://www.hoardingcleanup.com/chat_room

Dr. Randy Frost videos

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Informative links

• http://healthland.time.com/2012/08/07/inside-the-hoarders-brain-a-unique-problem-with-decision-making/
• https://www.elementsbehavioralhealth.com/mental-health/dsm-v-hoarding-new-mental-disorder-diagnoses/
• http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/harmless-pack-rat-or-compulsive-hoarder?page=3
• http://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/hoarding-basics
• http://www.theravive.com/therapedia/Hoarding-Disorder-DSM--5-300.3-(F42)
• https://iocdf.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Hoarding-Fact-Sheet.pdf
• http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/hoarding/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Book "Buried in treasure" by David F. Tolin, Randy O. Frost, Gail Steketee

• https://books.google.ca/books/about/Buried_in_Treasures.html?id=P41g4iNxki4C&redir_esc=y&hl=en

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5®)

• http://www.dsm5.org/Documents/Obsessive%20Compulsive%20Disorders%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf

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