From clutter to crisis: Why hoarding disorder rates are on the rise

Have you come across individuals who have a tendency to accumulate and reside in cluttered spaces due to their difficulty in parting with their belongings? Well, it might be a mental health issue.

Despite advances in mental health awareness, hoarding disorders remain insufficiently acknowledged, often lacking the sensitivity they require.

Hoarding involves the excessive accumulation of possessions, creating cluttered and overwhelming environments that hinder daily functioning.

What is hoarding disorder?

By definition, hoarding is an accumulation of stuff. Hoarding disorder is characterized by the chaotic accumulation and storage of items, to the point where it disrupts a person's ability to live a normal life. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) formally recognizes hoarding disorder as a mental illness.

While some hoarding cases may involve a slight excess of possessions, between 80 to 90 percent of hoarders experience extreme acquisition behaviors. Contributing factors often include personality traits, family history, past trauma, and high-stress situations.

Items hoarded may not hold significant monetary worth. Instead, hoarding behavior is often a manifestation of deeper anxieties and preoccupations in a person's life, rather than a reflection of the actual value of the items.

The psychology behind how hoarding manifests?

High-stress life events are common triggers for hoarding behaviour. Experts believe that perfectionists, overwhelmed by the decision of what to keep or discard, may opt to keep everything as a way of avoiding the stress of making choices.

Holding onto excessive quantities of possessions can provide a sense of safety and happiness for some individuals. Hoarding can serve as a coping mechanism, filling emotional voids or providing a form of security.

Digital hoarding: A growing issue

Digital hoarding, a subtype of hoarding disorder, involves the excessive collection and reluctance to part with digital material. This phenomenon is on the rise and has been identified as having negative consequences on mental health.

How to help someone with a hoarding disorder

Effective treatment often involves behavioural modification techniques aimed at managing anxiety, obsessiveness, and compulsiveness. For those struggling to part with material possessions, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a recommended approach. This therapy, especially when conducted with a therapist in the hoarder's home, can be more beneficial than medication alone, as it involves consistent behavioural programs focused on decluttering.

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