Hoarding can be a touchy subject for most people because it directly confronts emotional disturbances, attachments, and can challenge sense of comfort and safety. Some might also not even realize that they are actual hoarders. Hoarding is now recognized as a separate disorder according to the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Hoarding is characterized as persistent saving of and difficulty discarding possessions. This can lead to an accumulation of clutter in the home, financial problems, threat of eviction, and high levels of stress. At the societal level, hoarding can also bring about hygiene and safety concerns, debilitating conditions, and expensive clean-ups.
There are three main factors that contribute to hoarding including emotional attachment to and beliefs about possessions, maladaptive emotional responses, and information processing difficulties. Let's break that down. People that hoard will most likely have beliefs about the nature and meaning of possessions that drives their motivation to save everything and finds it challenging to discard things. There is also an emotional attachment to possessions, even if it is a used plastic cup from McDonalds. This emotional attachment allows the person to find comfort and safety in their possessions and gives them a sense of control. Some also may feel exaggerated sense of responsibility for ensuring that their possessions are not wasted and will have fear of forgetting or missing out on information if their objects were to be discarded.
How can someone stop hoarding?
Hoarding is a challenging behavior to stop overnight. I would recommend working with a psychotherapist who specialize in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that can work with you on identifying your thought patterns, emotions, and behaviors. CBT approach is helpful to understand thought patterns and how both thoughts and emotions can dictate behaviors. It is important that your therapists works with you on identifying when hoarding started, patterns of hoarding, and emotions associated with attachment of possessions. People with hoarding issues typically have an insecure attachment, usually stemming from childhood which has developed over time. If a child's caregivers were unavailable or dismissive in responding to their child's needs, hoarding could then be developed as a representation of themselves as being helpless or unlovable. Research has shown that excessive attachment to possessions may perhaps emerge as a strategy for a lack of security in human interpersonal relationships. Meaning, humans are thought of as undependable and objects are more sustainable and easily controlled by their possessor. Additionally, loneliness has also been an indicator for manifesting hoarding. Overall, it is important to address hoarding tendencies with your therapist to find a more effective way to grow a secure attachment with not only with your possessions but with your interpersonal relationships as well.