It can be hard to throw things out when you no longer need them. You might wonder if it’s better to hold onto them in case you one day need them again, or a friend does. Or an object may hold sentimental value to you. We all have one or two things that we could have thrown out, or keep meaning to throw out.
For some, however, the idea of getting rid of things can be a point of distress. This is especially true for those with hoarding disorder, who will hoard excess belongings as a point of security or a coping mechanism.
What Is Hoarding Disorder?
Hoarding disorder, or compulsive hoarding, is a mental health disorder characterized by a deep distress in parting with belongings. Often, rather than parting with belongings they no longer need, those with hoarding disorder will hold onto them, to the point that their home becomes cluttered, unsanitary, or difficult to inhabit.
Not everyone who collects belongings has hoarding disorder. In fact, only about 2-6% of the population have hoarding disorder.1 Collecting and hoarding are two different things. Collectors will accumulate belongings of a certain type and keep them in an organized manner, often displaying them to friends and family. They curate the items that they collect. Hoarding disorder, on the other hand, is a compulsion. It often has no order or sense of organization. Those with hoarding disorder feel a need to acquire and hold onto items, even when they run out of space to store them.
Comorbidities
Like many mental health disorders, hoarding disorder rarely occurs within a vacuum. It can in fact be a reactionary compulsion to one of its comorbidities. Here are some of the common ways that hoarding disorder interacts with other disorders.
Hoarding Disorder and Anxiety
Hoarding has been considered an anxiety disorder by some and has clear links to anxiety. For some, hoarding provides a sense of security. For individuals who went without the things they needed in the past, buying in bulk or hoarding an excess of items can keep them from feeling the helplessness they experienced in their past. The idea of holding onto items may help them feel more prepared for the future.
Hoarding Disorder and OCD
Hoarding Disorder and Trauma
Sometimes compulsive hoarding is a coping mechanism for trauma or a way to distract yourself from trauma. Certain items may be tied to your trauma, such as a deceased loved one’s old belongings. Hoarding to create a sense of security in your home situation could also be a way to cope with trauma of having been homeless or in deep poverty. Hoarding may give you a sense of comfort or control in the moment, though in the long run, it can make you feel as though your life is out of control.
Treatment For Hoarding Disorder
Hoarding disorder can quickly take over your life. It can make it difficult to bring others over to your home or to navigate your home yourself. The more you hoard, the more stress you may feel with respect to your belongings. But like many compulsions, it can be a hard habit to break — because it’s much more than a habit.
Fortunately, hoarding doesn’t have to control your life. There are treatments available that can help you manage your compulsive hoarding and address the root cause of your distress. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) are sometimes prescribed to treat the symptoms of anxiety that can come with hoarding disorders. However, the most effective form of treatment for hoarding disorder is therapy, particularly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
CBT For Hoarding Disorder
CBT is a form of talk therapy in which you are challenged to reframe your negative thought patterns in order to then change your behavior. CBT will help you get to the root of why you hoard: does it provide you a sense of security or a distraction from your other stressors?
From there, you can approach your thought process when you hoard and reframe those thoughts. You can make a plan to lessen buying more items or even make a plan to part with some of your old things. Your therapist can help you work out a healthy coping mechanism to replace hoarding.
DBT For Hoarding Disorder
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is a more recent form of therapy that uses CBT at its base. Originally designed to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD), DBT helps patients identify, accept, and then commit to changing their harmful target behaviors. In the case of hoarding disorder, the target behaviors might be buying items you don’t need or hoarding items you no longer need.
Before making any change, you will track that target behavior, asking what triggered it and how you felt before and after. This will help you better understand where your hoarding comes from. The point is to approach the hoarding without judgment. Accept why your hoarding may have helped you in the past while working to find a healthy alternative in the present. DBT is split up between individual therapy, where you will go over your progress, and group therapy, where you work with a group to learn skills like mindfulness, distress tolerance, and emotional regulation.
Do you struggle with compulsive hoarding? Our team of skilled and compassionate clinicians specialize in CBT and DBT and can help you overcome your hoarding disorder. Rivia Mind is here to support you. Schedule an appointment today, appointments available in as soon as 24 hours.
Resources:
- Who gets Hoarding Disorder? – International OCD Foundation
- Hoarding Facts – International OCD Foundation
