Hoarding Disorders

Hoarding is accumulating a clutter of possessions that are of no use or value to the point that it disrupts an individual’s life and the lives of their family, friends, and neighbors. Commonly hoarded items are newspapers, magazines, bags, boxes, clothing, food and supplies. Compulsive hoarding interferes with the individual’s ability to make simple decisions concerning sanitation, working, eating, and sleeping. Signs of the onset of a hoarding disorder include avoiding the discarding of items, making decisions about organizing the accumulated items, having fears of running out of items for later use, and distrusting persons who are concerned about the collection of items.
Hoarding disorder symptoms are found to be most common in aging