What is Hoarding?

A definition is:  hoarding is the acquisition and saving of possessions that have little or no perceived value that the person has great difficulty discarding which negatively affects the person's quality of life..  Some people confuse hoarding with collecting, but the main difference is that the collector is proud of his collection and displays and maintains it.  The hoarder on the other hand usually feels shame and embarrassment and just stuffs his possessions anywhere and everywhere.  Compulsive hoarding is defined, in part, by clutter that so overtakes living, dining and sleeping spaces that it harms the person’s quality of life. 


Hoarding affects emotions, thoughts and behavior.  Signs and symptoms may include:

§  Cluttered living spaces
§  Inability to discard items
§  Keeping stacks of newspapers, magazines or junk mail
§  Moving items from one pile to another, without discarding anything
§  Acquiring unneeded or seemingly useless items, including trash
§  Difficulty managing daily activities, including procrastination and trouble making decisions
§  Difficulty organizing items
§  Perfectionism 
§  Excessive attachment to possessions, and discomfort letting others touch or borrow possessions
§  Limited or no social interactions, isolation
·  Shoplifting
·  Inability to pass up freebies or BOGOs <buy one, get one>
·   All or nothing thinking
·   OCD or OCPD <there is a difference between the two>