Hoarding: Difference between revisions

[[File:Tape hoarding kills home taping (1).jpg|thumb|300x300px|Tape Hoarding ]]

'''Hoarding''' is the act of engaging in excessive acquisition of items that are not needed or for which no space is available.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hoarding disorder - Symptoms and causes |url=https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hoarding-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20356056 |access-date=2023-10-05 |website=Mayo Clinic |language=en}}</ref>

[[Civil unrest]] or the threat of natural disasters may lead people to hoard foodstuffs, water, gasoline, and other essentials that they believe will soon be in short supply. [[Survivalist]]s, also known as preppers, often stockpile large supplies of these items in anticipation of a large-scale [[disaster]] event.<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/health/preppers-avoiding-panic-amid-coronavirus-outbreak-us Preppers, once mocked, say they were ready for coronavirus crisis]</ref><ref>[https://www.businessinsider.com/doomsday-preppers-advice-on-how-to-prepare-for-the-coronavirus-2020-3 Doomsday preppers' advice on how to prepare for the coronavirus]</ref>

Other items commonly hoarded include coins[[coin]]s considered to have an intrinsic value, such as those minted in silver, or gold, as well as collectibles, jewelry, precious metals<ref>{{Cite web|last=Palmer|first=Barclay|title=A Beginner's Guide to Precious Metals|url=https://www.investopedia.com/articles/basics/09/precious-metals-gold-silver-platinum.asp|access-date=2020-11-09|website=Investopedia|language=en}}</ref> and other luxuries.

According to previous<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Burgess |first1=Alexandra M. |last2=Graves |first2=Lucy M. |last3=Frost |first3=Randy O. |date=June 2018 |title=My possessions need me: Anthropomorphism and hoarding |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sjop.12441 |journal=Scandinavian Journal of Psychology |language=en |volume=59 |issue=3 |pages=340–348 |doi=10.1111/sjop.12441 |pmid=29608213 |issn=0036-5564}}</ref> studies, [[Anthropomorphism]], or the propensity to attribute human characteristics to non-human items, has been associated with hoarding. Additionally, the findings stated that younger individuals had more substantial hoarding and anthropomorphizing cognitions and behaviors, and women demonstrated stronger early anthropomorphizing behaviors compared to malesmen.<ref>{{Cite journal |lastlast1=Neave |firstfirst1=Nick |last2=Jackson |first2=Rachel |last3=Saxton |first3=Tamsin |last4=Hönekopp |first4=Johannes |date=2015-01-01 |title=The influence of anthropomorphic tendencies on human hoarding behaviours |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886914004863 |journal=Personality and Individual Differences |volume=72 |pages=214–219 |doi=10.1016/j.paid.2014.08.041 |issn=0191-8869}}</ref>

== History of Hoarding ==

The first documented case of Hoardinghoarding was in the Collyer Mansion by the brothers [[Collyer brothers|Homer and Langley]] in 1947, New York. Their mansion became an attraction in 1938 because of the extreme level of accumulation and fortune found in their residence after their deaths.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PDF.js viewer |url=https://library.oapen.org/viewer/web/viewer.html?file=/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/62022/9781501752810.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |access-date=2023-10-05 |website=library.oapen.org}}</ref>

== Anxiety and hoarding ==

Individuals who meet the diagnostic criteria for hoarding disorder experience feelings of [[anxiety]] or discomfort about discarding possessions they do not need. This discomfort arises from an emotional attachment to possessions and a strong belief that their possessions will be needed in the future. Possessions will take on a sentimental value that outweighs their functional value. This is no different from someone without hoarding disorder; the difference lies in the strength of this sentimental value and in how many items take on a sentimental value. For this reason, when discarding items, hoarders may feel like they are throwing away a part of themselves.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Frost|first=Randy|date=1995|title=A Cognitive-Behavioral Model of Compulsive Hoarding|journal=Behaviour Research and Therapy|volume=34|issue=4|pages=341–350|doi=10.1016/0005-7967(95)00071-2|pmid=8871366}}</ref>

In severe cases, a house may become a fire hazard (due to blocked exits and stacked papers) or a health hazard (due to vermin infestation, excreta and detritus from excessive pets, hoarded food and garbage, or the risk of stacks of items collapsing on the occupants and blocking exit routes).<ref>[http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hoarding/DS00966 "Hoarding"], Mayo Clinic, 2012. Retrieved 2013-05-19.</ref> Thus, hoarding affects more than just the personowner whoof hasthe aobjects, strongas attachmentthe tostate possessions,of asa otherhoarded peoplehouse livingcan inhave thea homenegative andeffect neighborson canall beoccupants affectedand byeven the clutterneighbors. Furthermore, individuals with hoarding disorder may have a [[quality of life]] as poor as those diagnosed with [[schizophrenia]].<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.jpsychires.2010.08.007 |pmid=20822778 |pmc=3009837 |title=Quality of life and functional impairment in compulsive hoarding |journal=Journal of Psychiatric Research |volume=45 |issue=4 |pages=475–480 |year=2011 |last1=Saxena |first1=Sanjaya |last2=Ayers |first2=Catherine R. |last3=Maidment |first3=Karron M. |last4=Vapnik |first4=Tanya |last5=Wetherell |first5=Julie L. |last6=Bystritsky |first6=Alexander }}</ref> Eventually, the disorder increases family strain,<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.brat.2007.12.008 |pmid=18275935 |pmc=3018822 |title=Family burden of compulsive hoarding: Results of an internet survey |journal=Behaviour Research and Therapy |volume=46 |issue=3 |pages=334–344 |year=2008 |last1=Tolin |first1=David F. |last2=Frost |first2=Randy O. |last3=Steketee |first3=Gail |last4=Fitch |first4=Kristin E. }}</ref> work impairment,<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1111/bjc.12212 |pmid=30548281 |title=Hoarding symptoms and workplace impairment |journal=British Journal of Clinical Psychology |volume=58 |issue=3 |pages=342–356 |year=2018 |last1=Mathes |first1=Brittany M. |last2=Henry |first2=Alastair |last3=Schmidt |first3=Norman B. |last4=Norberg |first4=Melissa M. |s2cid=56484725 }}</ref> and the risk of serious medical conditions.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.psychres.2007.08.008 |pmid=18597855 |pmc=3018686 |title=The economic and social burden of compulsive hoarding |journal=Psychiatry Research |volume=160 |issue=2 |pages=200–211 |year=2008 |last1=Tolin |first1=David F. |last2=Frost |first2=Randy O. |last3=Steketee |first3=Gail |last4=Gray |first4=Krista D. |last5=Fitch |first5=Kristin E. }}</ref>

Hoarding disorder begins at an average age of 13 years old.<ref name=":0" /> The general Studiesconsensus showis that men usuallyand hoardwomen moreare thanequally womenprone to hoarding.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rodriguez |first=Carolyn |date=August 2021 |title=What is Hoarding Disorder |url=https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/hoarding-disorder/what-is-hoarding-disorder#:~:text=The%20bulk%20of%20evidence%20suggests,in%20severity%20with%20each%20decade. |website=American Psychiatric Association}}</ref> Hoarding can run in families, whichand it may be meanspossible [[genetics]] play a role in developing hoarding behaviors.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rodriguez |first=Carolyn |title=Expert Q&A: Hoarding Disorder |url=https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/hoarding-disorder/expert-q-and-a#:~:text=Yes%2C%20hoarding%20disorder%20is%20more,plays%20a%20role%20as%20well. |website=American Psychiatry Association}}</ref> Also, this behavior can be developed due to life circumstances such as difficult losses, [[depression (mood)|depression]], [[financial crises]], and living small which make it difficult for people to get rid of their belongings.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |lastlast1=Steketee |firstfirst1=Gail |url=https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=sbryDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Hoarding+:%3A+What+Everyone+Needs+to+Know&otspg=BvgjbmO_rJ&sig=UvZ7qYR5FykRlE9InPcN2WdLBNs#v=onepage&q=Hoarding%20:%20What%20Everyone%20Needs%20to%20Know&f=falsePP1 |title=Hoarding: What Everyone Needs to Know |last2=Bratiotis |first2=Christiana |date=2020 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-094639-5 |language=en}}</ref>

According to the ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'',<ref>{{Cite book |last=American Psychiatric Association |chapter=Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders |url=https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/book/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787 |title=Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders |date=2022-03-18 |publisher=American Psychiatric Association Publishing |isbn=978-0-89042-575-6 |edition=DSM-5-TR |language=en |doi=10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787.x06_obsessive_compulsive_and_related_disorders}}</ref> the symptomscriteria offor hoarding disorder includeboils down to five main points. Firstly, the hoarder experiences difficulty parting with items regardless of the item's value. Secondly, the hoarder feels a need to save items, and when they do part with them, it leads to strong distress. This, in turn, leads to objects cluttering the home to the point that living is compromised and rooms cannot be used for their intended purposes. If the house has not fallen into such a state, it is only because of outside parties intervening. Fourthly, the hoarding has compromised the hoarder's life in a clinically significant way, including an inability to maintain a safe living environment. Lastly, the diagnosis is only given if another psychological diagnosis does not fit better and there is no physiological reason to explain the hoarding. For an exact quote of the diagnostic criteria, the ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'' is available to the public.<ref>{{Cite web |title=DSM-5 Hoarding Disorder Criteria |doi=10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787.x06_Obsessive_Compulsive_and_Related_Disorders |url=https://dsm.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787.x06_Obsessive_Compulsive_and_Related_Disorders}}</ref>

* [[Plyushkin]], fictional Russian hoarder, after which compulsive hoarding is sometimes known as "Plyushkin's disorder"