Are you a hoarder?

A hoarder's home often resembles a war zone. The countertops, sinks, stoves, desks, beds, stairways and virtually any space where things can go is stacked from head to toe. This can lead to the home and everything in it slowly rotting away. And when there's no more room inside, the clutter may spread to the garage, vehicles and yard. Hoarding may not always be this extreme, but here is how to tell if someone has hoarding tendencies.

Who hoards?

• Hoarding usually starts early at 13 or 14 years old, but gets worse with age
• About 5% of Americans meet the criteria for being a hoarder
• There is a connection between parents who hoard and their kids
• People often develop hoarding characteristics after a life-changing event
• Six million people are affected by hoarding (1 in 20)
• Half of hoarders have a history of alcoholism

Signs of hoarding

• Cluttered living
• Can't throw away or give up items
• Stacks of items around the house
• Moving items but not discarding them
• Acquiring trash
• Procrastination on daily activities
• Poor organization
• Ashamed about their living situation
• Strong attachment to their stuff and not letting others touch their things
• No/small social life

Why people hoard

• Intense emotional attachment to objects
• Feeling a sense of major loss if they were forced to throw stuff away
• Many items have an intrinsic value to them (like some might see in an artwork or driftwood)
• Assume that an item may be of good use to them someday
• Studies have found that the frontal lobe within the brain of someone who hoards tends to work differently

Stuff being hoarded

• Papers, magazines, letters, etc.
• Items that can be bought in larger quantities
• Non-expensive, practical items
• Items with no value/garbage
• Items that could have future use
• Animals

Consequences:

• Hoarders can lose their children. An unsafe, unhealthy hoarding environment is grounds for child neglect
• Becomes a major fire/health hazard
• Mold and mildew ruins furniture and clothing and can destroy walls
• Dust can cause health problems and destroy the living space
• Fines and jail time from not cleaning in a timely manner

Medication:

• Using expired medical products is risky and possibly harmful to your health
• In the late 1970s, the FDA required an expiration date on prescription and over-the-counter medicines
• Expired medicine may be less effective and risky to use because of changes in chemical composition or decrease in potency
• Improper storage can also contribute to decreased effectiveness

Hoarding versus collecting:

• Collectors have pride in their possessions
• Are happy to display them
• Keep their possessions organized
• Know how to budget their money
• Hoarders are embarrassed
• Get uncomfortable when others see their stuff
• The stuff isn't organized and begins to take over rooms of their home
• Hoarders accumulate large amounts of debt