HD can become worse with time. It most often affects adults, though teenagers may show hoarding tendencies as well. This designation makes HD an independent mental health diagnosis. HD can occur simultaneously with other mental health conditions as well. It also requires the involvement of a doctor. HD can occur for several reasons. Hoarders often live with their collected items at the expense of their own needs. For example, they may forego using their refrigerator because their kitchen space has become blocked with items.
Or they may choose to live with a broken appliance or without heat rather than let someone into their home to repair the problem. Research indicates that HD may also be associated with a lack of executive functioning ability. Deficiencies in this area include, among other symptoms, an inability to:. Approximately 2 to 6 percent of people have HD. At least 1 in 50 — possibly even 1 in 20 — people have significant, or compulsive, hoarding tendencies.
HD affects men and women equally. Age is a significant factor for HD. Adults aged 55 and older are three times more likely to develop HD than younger adults. The average age for a person seeking help for HD is around Adolescents can also have HD. This is because young people tend to live with parents or roommates who can help manage hoarding behaviors. HD can begin interfering with daily activities around age 20, but may not become severely problematic until age 30 or later.
When setting goals with your loved one about organizing their living space, emphasize reducing the risk of accidents and injuries rather than eliminating clutter. To keep the hoarder motivated, make it clear that the aim is only to get rid of enough items to keep the person safe. As you move ahead with the process, your loved one may become more comfortable making decisions about things to discard. Set achievable goals. When decluttering, aim to tackle just a small pile or a single drawer at first.
Start with items that your loved one finds easiest to throw away—old bills may be less distressing to discard than letters or photographs, for example. While you want to avoid them delaying decisions, the final say should always be theirs. What triggers the person to acquire more things? Once you identify what triggers them to accumulate more possessions, you can find healthier ways to deal with the urges. Celebrate even small victories. Clearing away just a few things is reason to praise your loved one—and yourself.
While medication may help for underlying issues such as anxiety or depression, cognitive behavioral therapy CBT is the primary treatment for hoarding disorder. Whether in a group or one-on-one setting, CBT can address the negative thoughts that contribute to hoarding disorder and help the hoarder develop new patterns of behavior.
Working with the right therapist can help your loved one to:. Help your loved one to research therapy options, make and keep appointments, and stay on schedule. For your loved one. In addition to therapy, talking regularly to others facing the same challenges can help your loved one to feel less isolated and alone. Find online or in-person support groups for people with hoarding disorder using the resources listed below.
For yourself. Joining a support group for family members of hoarders can also help you find support, discover local resources, and learn new coping tips. Grisham, J. Compulsive hoarding: Current controversies and new directions. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 12 2 , — Nordsletten, A.
Epidemiology of hoarding disorder. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 6 , — Dozier, M. Psychopathology, 50 5 , — Weiss, K. Hoarding, Housing, and DSM Tolin, D.
Is cognitive—behavioral therapy more effective than other therapies? Clinical Psychology Review, 30 6 , — Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. American Psychiatric Association. Antidepressant medicines called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors SSRIs have also been shown to help some people with hoarding disorders. CBT is a type of therapy that aims to help you manage your problems by changing how you think cognitive and act behaviour. It encourages you to talk about how you think about yourself, the world and other people, and how what you do affects your thoughts and feelings.
Regular sessions of CBT over a long period of time are usually necessary and will almost always need to include some home-based sessions, working directly on the clutter.
This requires motivation, commitment and patience, as it can take many months to achieve the treatment goal. The goal is to improve the person's decision-making and organisational skills, help them overcome urges to save and, ultimately, clear the clutter, room by room. The therapist won't throw anything away but will help guide and encourage the person to do so. The therapist can also help the person develop decision-making strategies, while identifying and challenging underlying beliefs that contribute to the hoarding problem.
The person gradually becomes better at throwing things away, learning that nothing terrible happens when they do and becomes better at organising items they insist on keeping. At the end of treatment, the person may not have cleared all their clutter, but they will have gained a better understanding of their problem.
They will have a plan to help them continue to build on their successes and avoid slipping back into their old ways. Page last reviewed: 12 June Next review due: 12 June Home Mental health Mental health conditions Back to Mental health conditions.
Hoarding disorder. Hoarding is considered a significant problem if: the amount of clutter interferes with everyday living — for example, the person is unable to use their kitchen or bathroom and cannot access rooms the clutter is causing significant distress or negatively affecting the quality of life of the person or their family — for example, they become upset if someone tries to clear the clutter and their relationship suffers Hoarding disorders are challenging to treat because many people who hoard frequently do not see it as a problem, or have little awareness of how it's affecting their life or the lives of others.
If not tackled, it's a problem that will probably never go away. Why someone may hoard The reasons why someone begins hoarding are not fully understood. Mental health problems associated with hoarding include: severe depression psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia obsessive compulsive disorder OCD In some cases, hoarding is a condition in itself and often associated with self-neglect.
These people are more likely to: live alone be unmarried have had a deprived childhood, with either a lack of material objects or a poor relationship with other members of their family have a family history of hoarding have grown up in a cluttered home and never learned to prioritise and sort items Many people who hoard have strongly held beliefs related to acquiring and discarding things, such as: "I may need this someday" or "If I buy this, it will make me happy".
Animals may be confined inside or outside. Because of the large numbers, these animals often aren't cared for properly. The health and safety of the person and the animals are at risk because of unsanitary conditions.
If you or a loved one has symptoms of hoarding disorder, talk with a doctor or mental health professional as soon as possible. Some communities have agencies that help with hoarding problems.
Check with the local or county government for resources in your area. As hard as it might be, if your loved one's hoarding disorder threatens health or safety, you may need to contact local authorities, such as police, fire, public health, child or elder protective services, or animal welfare agencies. It's not clear what causes hoarding disorder.
Genetics, brain functioning and stressful life events are being studied as possible causes. Hoarding usually starts around ages 11 to 15, and it tends to get worse with age. Hoarding is more common in older adults than in younger adults. Because little is understood about what causes hoarding disorder, there's no known way to prevent it.
However, as with many mental health conditions, getting treatment at the first sign of a problem may help prevent hoarding from getting worse. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version.
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