Am I A Hoarder - Your Official Guide

By Kathleen Wright


All homes have small amounts of clutter and dirt that get cleared up and organized weekly or monthly. When this clutter and dirt starts to accumulate to the point where general living conditions are compromised and the interior becomes hazardous with goods and debris, it could constitute a hoarding situation. To answer the question, am I a hoarder requires a look at its definition, behaviors and the psychological implications behind it.

The presence of hoarding will consume your life and affect both the hoarder and family members or loved ones. The purchase of goods or collection of items that are not useful and cannot be tossed, becomes unhealthy and obsessive making it increasingly difficult to manage. The space inside and outside your house is taken over and general lifestyle becomes compromised.

If you are a hoarder or perhaps suspect a relative or friend of hoarding, obtaining a complete psychological evaluation and finding the right help can detect levels of anxiety and stress. The occurrence of OCD or obsessive compulsive disorder is the basis for symptoms leaving individuals under severe distress when attempting to release goods. A complete assessment is needed to ensure anxiety is managed and stress alleviated.

If you are slowly building up items that are no longer useful or under the impression it will be useful some time in the future, your home is eventually filled with stuff. Living spaces are taken over by furniture, goods and food that leave open areas consumed and create health risk as debris forms. When clutter reaches epic proportions, even bedrooms are taken over and many people sleep between the clutter.

While many people accumulate many things that could remain in large heaps in and around the home, the hoarder is unorganized. Keeping a significant number of goods that does not constitute hoarding includes useful items and knowledge of where these items are located. Hoarders simply pile and pile objects without knowledge of where specific items are located and cannot organize their clutter.

Many types of goods are acquired by hoarders from plastics and ornaments to clothing, papers and even pets. These types of goods can remain inside or outside the property but it becomes overwhelming and the lack of the appropriate management can cause major distress in every day living. It is important to seek help when hoarding is suspected because of the health risks it poses over time.

The characteristic mark of an OCD hoarder is the severe anxiety associated with separating from these stored goods. Many people who sort through these items with the assistance of friends and family are unable to release the items without experiencing a high level of anxiety and stress. Hoarders will create many excuses as to why the stored goods cannot be released.

The occurrence of hoarding will take over your life and while cluttered corners may start small, it quickly builds-up and becomes overwhelming to manage. A professional therapist specializing in OCD and related conditions assists in addressing the underlying anxiety and stress such behaviors cause. Finding ways of managing belongings and goods in a healthy manner can avoid such difficulties.




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