Am I A Hoarder Or Not?

By Maria Wright


There are a lot of people who like to hoard stuff simply because of habit or because they are just plain messy. However, there are some people who are compulsive hoarders. This is actually a form of obsessive compulsive disorder and one of the main causes as to why they do not get any cleaning done. For those who are asking themselves the question Am I a hoarder, check out these signs.

In order to know whether one has an OCD, the first thing to do is determine whether one has trouble letting go of stuff. It is one thing to be lazy and just ignore those worthless things, but it is another story when one cannot seem to let go. If one keeps on finding some excuse to keep stuff that has no value, then it is a possible sign.

Another thing to watch out for would be whether one has accumulated stacks of stuff in the house but hardly use any of them. This could include something big like furniture, something small like canned goods, or probably even old carton boxes. As long as one sees that he or she has too much stuff in the house and too little leg room, then it may already be a sign.

Another sign would be if one has a very easy time letting go of the stuff of other people. Comparatively, if one cannot let go of his own stuff but can easily let go of the belongings of other people, then he or she probably has a hoarding problem. One would want to check on this type of behavior if he or she believes he or she has this problem.

For those who seem to notice a strange growth of molds or mildew in their homes because of things that have been there for ages, that is a sign. It is not just a sign, but a very unhealthy and hazardous sign. In fact, some people who exhibit the behavior might even have mushrooms growing underneath the stuff they own.

Defensive behavior is another sign that one seems to be having some sort of hoarding problem. For those who somehow get irritable whenever they are confronted about this problem by friends or relatives, this is definitely a sign of a disorder. This may even affect some relationships that one may have with other people.

Of course, this irritable and defensive behavior would eventually lead to social isolation. If a person feels like he or she wants to be alone with his or her stuff most of the time, then it could be a tell tale sign of a hoarding OCD. He or she will especially notice this if his or her friends would point it out.

For those who are already noticing some signs such as these, then it might be high time to seek help. Fortunately, there are many ways to be able to treat this type of disorder with therapy being one of them. It is better to just nip it in the bud rather than let it be and slowly progress into something worse.




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