tag:theconversation.com,2011:/uk/topics/hoarding-disorder-3543/articleshoarding disorder – The Conversation2023-10-24T19:19:31Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2081022023-10-24T19:19:31Z2023-10-24T19:19:31ZWhy do people with hoarding disorder hoard, and how can we help?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532818/original/file-20230620-21-5g5yq2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C5296%2C3673&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Hoarding disorder is an under-recognised serious mental illness that <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25909628/">worsens with age</a>. It affects <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31200169/">2.5% of the working-age population</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27939851/">7% of older adults</a>. That’s about 715,000 Australians.</p>
<p>People who hoard and their families often feel ashamed and don’t get the support they need. Clutter can make it hard to do things most of us take for granted, such as eating at the table or sleeping in bed. </p>
<p>In the gravest cases, homes are completely unsanitary, either because it has become impossible to clean or because the person <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23482436/">saves garbage</a>. The <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18275935/">strain on the family</a> can be extreme – couples get divorced, and children grow up feeling unloved. </p>
<p>So why do people with hoarding disorder hoard? And how can we help?</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532822/original/file-20230620-27-dakmks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532822/original/file-20230620-27-dakmks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532822/original/file-20230620-27-dakmks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532822/original/file-20230620-27-dakmks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532822/original/file-20230620-27-dakmks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532822/original/file-20230620-27-dakmks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532822/original/file-20230620-27-dakmks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532822/original/file-20230620-27-dakmks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Research has shown genetic factors can play a role in hoarding.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-is-more-common-than-you-think-but-it-can-take-9-years-for-an-ocd-diagnosis-196651">Obsessive compulsive disorder is more common than you think. But it can take 9 years for an OCD diagnosis</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What causes hoarding disorder?</h2>
<p>Saving millions of objects, many worthless by objective standards, often makes little sense to those unfamiliar with the condition. </p>
<p>However, most of us<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352250X21000282?via%3Dihub"> become attached to at least a few possessions</a>. Perhaps we love the way they look, or they trigger fond memories.</p>
<p>Hoarding involves this same type of object attachment, as well over-reliance on possessions and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32402421/">difficulty being away from them</a>.</p>
<p>Research has shown genetic factors play a role but there is no one <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27445875/">single gene that causes hoarding disorder</a>. Instead, a range of psychological, neurobiological, and social factors can be at play.</p>
<p>Although some who hoard report being deprived of material things in childhood, emotional deprivation may play a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20934847/">stronger role</a>. </p>
<p>People with hoarding problems often report excessively cold parenting, difficulty connecting with others, and more <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34717158/">traumatic experiences</a>.</p>
<p>They may end up believing people are unreliable and untrustworthy, and that it’s better to rely on objects for comfort and safety. </p>
<p>People with hoarding disorder are often as attached or perhaps <a href="https://akjournals.com/view/journals/2006/11/3/article-p941.xml">more attached to possessions</a> than to the people in their life. </p>
<p>Their experiences have taught them their self-identity is tangled up in what they own; that if they part with their possessions, they will lose themselves.</p>
<p>Research shows <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0005789421000253?via%3Dihub">interpersonal problems</a>, such as loneliness, are linked to greater <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32853881/">attachment to objects</a>.</p>
<p>Hoarding disorder is also associated with high rates of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34923357/">attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder</a>. Difficulties with <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30907337/">decision-making</a>, planning, <a href="https://akjournals.com/view/journals/2006/12/3/article-p827.xml">attention</a> and categorising can make it hard to organise and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20542489/">discard possessions</a>. </p>
<p>The person ends up avoiding these tasks, which leads to unmanageable levels of clutter.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554198/original/file-20231017-27-lby73s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A room is filled wall-to-wall with electronic equipment and other items." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554198/original/file-20231017-27-lby73s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554198/original/file-20231017-27-lby73s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554198/original/file-20231017-27-lby73s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554198/original/file-20231017-27-lby73s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554198/original/file-20231017-27-lby73s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554198/original/file-20231017-27-lby73s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554198/original/file-20231017-27-lby73s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some end up believing it’s better to rely on objects rather than people.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Not everyone takes the same path to hoarding</h2>
<p>Most people with hoarding disorder also have strong beliefs about their possessions. For example, they are more likely to see beauty or usefulness in things and believe objects possess <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1025428631552">human-like qualities</a> such as intentions, emotions, or free will.</p>
<p>Many also feel responsible for objects and for the environment. While others may not think twice about discarding broken or disposable things, people with hoarding disorder can <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30041077/">anguish over their fate</a>. </p>
<p>This need to control, rescue, and protect objects is often at odds with the beliefs of friends and family, which can lead to conflict and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32853881/">social isolation</a>. </p>
<p>Not everyone with hoarding disorder describes the same pathway to overwhelming clutter. </p>
<p>Some report more cognitive difficulties while others may have experienced more emotional deprivation. So it’s important to take an individualised approach to treatment. </p>
<h2>How can we treat hoarding disorder?</h2>
<p>There is specialised cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) tailored for hoarding disorder. <a href="https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/46862/chapter-abstract/413932715?redirectedFrom=fulltext">Different strategies</a> are used to address the different factors contributing to a person’s hoarding. </p>
<p>Cognitive-behavioural therapy can also help people understand and gradually challenge their beliefs about possessions. </p>
<p>They may begin to consider how to remember, connect, feel safe, or express their identity in ways other via inanimate objects.</p>
<p>Treatment can also help people learn the skills needed to organise, plan, and discard. </p>
<p>Regardless of their path to hoarding, most people with hoarding disorder will benefit from a degree of exposure therapy. </p>
<p>This helps people gradually learn to let go of possessions and resist acquiring more.</p>
<p>Exposure to triggering situations (such as visiting shopping centres, op-shops or mounds of clutter without collecting new items) can help people learn to tolerate their urges and distress.</p>
<p>Treatment can happen in an individual or group setting, and/or via <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35640322/">telehealth</a>.</p>
<p>Research is underway on ways to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34409679/">improve</a> the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666915322001421">treatment</a> options further through, for example, learning different emotional regulation strategies.</p>
<h2>Sometimes, a harm-avoidance approach is best</h2>
<p>Addressing the emotional and behavioural drivers of hoarding through cognitive behavioural therapy is crucial.</p>
<p>But hoarding is different to most other psychological disorders. Complex cases may require lots of different agencies to work together.</p>
<p>For example, health-care workers may work with fire and housing officers to ensure the person can <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31984612/">live safely at home</a>.</p>
<p>When people have severe hoarding problems but are reluctant to engage in treatment, a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21360706/">harm-avoidance approach</a> may be best. This means working with the person with hoarding disorder to identify the most pressing safety hazards and come up with a practical plan to address them.</p>
<p>We must continue to improve our understanding and treatment of this complex disorder and address barriers to accessing help.</p>
<p>This will ultimately help reduce the devastating impact of hoarding disorder on individuals, their families, and the community.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/my-possessions-spark-joy-will-the-konmari-decluttering-method-work-for-me-110357">My possessions spark joy! Will the KonMari decluttering method work for me?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208102/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica Grisham has received funding from the International Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Foundation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Keong Yap receives funding from the International Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melissa Norberg has received funding from the International Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Foundation and the Psyche Foundation for her research on hoarding disorder. </span></em></p>Addressing the emotional and behavioural drivers of hoarding through therapy is crucial. But sometimes, a harm-avoidance approach is best.Jessica Grisham, Professor in Psychology, UNSW SydneyKeong Yap, Associate Professor of Psychology, Australian Catholic UniversityMelissa Norberg, Professor in Psychology, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1762112022-02-25T14:17:18Z2022-02-25T14:17:18ZHoarding: people with ADHD are more likely to have problems – new research<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/448031/original/file-20220223-27-7sry5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C0%2C5982%2C3997&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hoarder-room-packed-boxes-electronics-business-1603056412">trekandshoot/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many of us may find we have acquired too many possessions that clutter our living spaces, but refuse to part with things “in case we might need them”. </p>
<p>Although having too much stuff is something many of us can relate to, for some people, a persistent difficulty parting with possessions can become a problem: hoarding. When these tendencies significantly impair somebody’s quality of life, this leads to a condition called <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/hoarding-disorder/">hoarding disorder</a>.</p>
<p>Curiously, understanding how hoarding manifests and how it relates to other difficulties in everyday life has not received much attention until recently. Only in 2013 was hoarding disorder <a href="https://hoarding.iocdf.org/professionals/diagnosing-hoarding-disorder/">officially recognised</a> in the DSM-5 (the American Psychiatric Association’s manual for assessing and diagnosing mental health conditions), and its key characteristics agreed upon.</p>
<p>In a recent study, we found people with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a significantly <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022395621007263?casa_token=ht15tyVbIsYAAAAA:82xLGfHO507Rd1_svtJdXv5sUytqJNjPY5ZNdp49PdWbFW9v9NNR9fMdqvFghSEa9S-OSKk">higher frequency</a> of hoarding symptoms compared to the general population. This indicates that hoarding should be routinely assessed in those with ADHD.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0005796795000712">Hoarding disorder</a> is characterised by persistent difficulties discarding items, regardless of their actual value. This results in excessive accumulation of possessions that clutter living areas and compromise their intended use. Hoarding disorder leads to major distress and problems in socialising, work and other areas of daily functioning. </p>
<p>Anecdotally we know participants in hoarding research often report problems with attention, with many believing that they should have received a diagnosis of <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/">ADHD</a>. Indeed, evidence does indicate that people with hoarding disorder experience greater problems <a href="https://focus.psychiatryonline.org/doi/pdf/10.1176/appi.focus.130218">with attention</a> compared to others.</p>
<p>ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition, with one of its key characteristics being problems with attention. “Inattention” encompasses issues with concentrating, but also considerable difficulties with organisation, forgetfulness, procrastination and being easily distracted to a degree that impairs everyday functioning. </p>
<p>If there is a link between hoarding and inattention, then what about people with ADHD? Do they have more hoarding problems than most?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/hoarding-stockpiling-panic-buying-whats-normal-behavior-in-an-abnormal-time-149422">Hoarding, stockpiling, panic buying: What's normal behavior in an abnormal time?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Our study</h2>
<p>We asked all patients in an adult ADHD clinic in the UK to complete a series of questionnaires about their traits and behaviours including hoarding. We had 88 people, one-third of the patients, take part. A control group with similar age, gender and education characteristics who did not have ADHD answered the same questions. </p>
<p>Using three different questionnaires, we applied thresholds previously established by hoarding researchers and clinicians to indicate hoarding disorder. Some 20% of participants with ADHD reported clinically significant hoarding symptoms, versus 2% in the comparison group (close to the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032719301521?casa_token=16WGsV1O1IQAAAAA:9XvfvGyNlOlULzANfMy0xBTw4a4SExANw_6fjuqYMQfS6_dHSG3dBexbz4ybsTa9TQIVLoA">2.5% prevalence of hoarding disorder</a> in the population). </p>
<p>Hoarding was roughly as common across both genders, with patients who exhibited hoarding symptoms aged on average in their 30s. Clinically significant hoarding in ADHD patients was associated with poorer quality of life and higher depression and anxiety. </p>
<p>People with ADHD who scored below the threshold for hoarding disorder still reported considerably greater issues with hoarding compared to the control group. Further, those with more severe attention problems were more likely to report problems with hoarding. </p>
<p>Even if not suffering from either ADHD or hoarding disorder, many people will relate to the difficulties characteristic of these conditions, demonstrating that symptoms exist along a continuum in the population. We therefore reran the study online in 220 UK participants, finding this time that 3.6% scored above the threshold, and that there was again a strong link between inattention and hoarding.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman sitting at a laptop, looks stressed." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/448034/original/file-20220223-27-1sh1jhs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/448034/original/file-20220223-27-1sh1jhs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/448034/original/file-20220223-27-1sh1jhs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/448034/original/file-20220223-27-1sh1jhs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/448034/original/file-20220223-27-1sh1jhs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/448034/original/file-20220223-27-1sh1jhs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/448034/original/file-20220223-27-1sh1jhs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">We sought to find out whether people with ADHD are more likely to exhibit symptoms of hoarding.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/student-woman-finding-difficult-study-comprehend-1752225026">NDAB Creativity/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The findings from our study, which we understand is the first to examine hoarding in adult ADHD patients, suggest that people with ADHD should be routinely assessed for hoarding symptoms – particularly given the limited awareness around any impairments associated with hoarding. While patients did not spontaneously raise hoarding-related issues in the clinic, they did endorse them once explicitly raised in our study.</p>
<h2>Research gaps</h2>
<p>A limitation of our study is that hoarding symptoms were investigated with self-reported questionnaires. Future studies should replicate the findings with trained clinical staff assessing hoarding through interviews. Future research should also investigate why this association between ADHD and hoarding disorder exists.</p>
<p>More generally, one challenge to understanding hoarding and providing effective treatment is that many of those who suffer from hoarding disorder have <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S107772291000088X?casa_token=JAhsPVzhwk8AAAAA:kYbpJGDIi7mXRRx2yAU9RZ1T6QCBVNBpPSsb9fD6orKDLql2DeCpyJeCDt-p1Fpc6VrJnh4">limited insight</a>. This means they don’t necessarily recognise or accept that they are suffering from a mental health condition, or that they have a problem at all.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/girls-have-adhd-too-heres-why-we-may-be-missing-them-101571">Girls have ADHD too – here's why we may be missing them</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Research on hoarding disorder has tended to focus on people who do come forward or those noticed by health and social care systems. Time and again studies describe samples of predominantly female participants <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/da.22327?casa_token=3_kCS8bvIzkAAAAA%3A9lg8xYDbkU36rx3FFQFbUcNJeFUxY3_gUIs01z1dAUGtF-FdRbRVeLNZMPRa2jJtNjhKZR8fVeYs">in their late 50s</a>. But these participants tell of severe hoarding beginning much earlier in life, often by <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/da.22896">one’s 20s</a>. In addition, indirect evidence from demographic studies suggests that hoarding is evenly split <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032719301521?casa_token=wfRc3w57mTIAAAAA:iR2BW0u4YhAr3laUxfIgSwcRDdtaED1peT2uchzG824Eo0yIxRdRVBUJn5vPNGo9l24GKcs">across genders</a>. </p>
<p>The evidence from our study indicates that our understanding of hoarding may be enriched by targeting these younger people with ADHD and hoarding to get a fuller understanding of their symptoms. This could ultimately support more effective interventions and treatments in both ADHD and hoarding disorder, and help illuminate the link between the two.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176211/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The study was supported by the British Academy (SG152110).</span></em></p>Our recent study found that as many as one in five people with ADHD could have significant hoarding symptoms.Sharon Morein, Associate Professor in Psychology and Mental Health, Anglia Ruskin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1531112021-01-15T14:03:31Z2021-01-15T14:03:31ZDigital hoarders: we’ve identified four types – which are you?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378579/original/file-20210113-13-xts4og.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/filing-archives-cabinet-on-laptop-screen-665882623">rawf8/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>How many emails are in your inbox? If the answer is thousands, or if you often struggle to find a file on your computer among its cluttered hard drive, then you might be classed as a digital hoarder. </p>
<p>In the physical world, hoarding disorder has been recognised as <a href="http://www.hoardingandsqualorsa.com.au/resources/DSM%205%20-%20Hoarding%20disorder%20definition.pdf">a distinct psychiatric condition</a> among people who accumulate excessive amounts of objects to the point that it prevents them living a normal life. Now, research has begun to recognise that hoarding can be a problem in the digital world, too.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/for-some-people-anxiety-and-phobias-are-taken-to-extremes-19672">For some people, anxiety and phobias are taken to extremes</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>A case study <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4600778/">published in the British Medical Journal</a> in 2015 described a 47-year-old man who, as well as hoarding physical objects, took around 1,000 digital photographs every day. He would then spend many hours editing, categorising, and copying the pictures onto various external hard drives. He was autistic, and may have been a collector rather than a hoarder — but his digital OCD tendencies caused him much distress and anxiety.</p>
<p>The authors of this research paper defined digital hoarding as “the accumulation of digital files to the point of loss of perspective which eventually results in stress and disorganisation”. By surveying hundreds of people, my colleagues and I found that digital hoarding is <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563219300469">common in the workplace</a>. In a follow-up study, in which we interviewed employees in two large organisations who exhibited lots of digital hoarding behaviours, we identified <a href="https://academic.oup.com/iwc/article-abstract/32/3/209/5898270?redirectedFrom=fulltext">four types of digital hoarder</a>.</p>
<p>“Collectors” are organised, systematic and in control of their data. “Accidental hoarders” are disorganised, don’t know what they have, and don’t have control over it. The “hoarder by instruction” keeps data on behalf of their company (even when they could delete much of it). Finally, “anxious hoarders” have strong emotional ties to their data — and are worried about deleting it.</p>
<h2>Working life</h2>
<p>Although digital hoarding doesn’t interfere with personal living space, it can clearly have a negative impact upon daily life. Research also suggests digital hoarding <a href="https://crestresearch.ac.uk/resources/cybersecurity-risks-of-digital-hoarding-behaviours/">poses a serious problem</a> to businesses and other organisations, and even has a negative impact on the environment.</p>
<p>To assess the extent of digital hoarding, we initially surveyed more than 400 people, many of whom admitted to hoarding behaviour. Some people reported that they kept many thousands of emails in inboxes and archived folders and never deleted their messages. This was especially true of work emails, which were seen as potentially useful as evidence of work undertaken, a reminder of outstanding tasks, or were simply kept “just in case”.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Man at computer confornted by many email notifications" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378580/original/file-20210113-21-dwnt4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378580/original/file-20210113-21-dwnt4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378580/original/file-20210113-21-dwnt4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378580/original/file-20210113-21-dwnt4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378580/original/file-20210113-21-dwnt4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378580/original/file-20210113-21-dwnt4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378580/original/file-20210113-21-dwnt4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Saving work emails is a common form of digital hoarding.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/email-inbox-electronic-communication-graphics-concept-401507503">Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Interestingly, when asked to consider the potentially damaging consequences of not deleting digital information – such as the cybersecurity threat to confidential business information – people were clearly aware of the risks. Yet the respondents still showed a great reluctance to hit the delete button. </p>
<p>At first glance, digital hoarding may not appear much of a problem — especially if digital hoarders work for large organisations. Storage is cheap and effectively limitless thanks to internet “cloud” storage systems. But digital hoarding may still lead to negative consequences. </p>
<p>First, storing thousands of files or emails is inefficient. Wasting large amounts of time looking for the right file can reduce productivity. Second, the more data is kept, the greater the risk that a cyberattack could lead to the loss or theft of information covered by data protection legislation. In the EU, <a href="https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisations/data-protection-reform/overview-of-the-gdpr-1-13.pdf">new GDPR rules</a> mean companies that lose customer data to hacking could be hit with hefty fines.</p>
<p>The final consequence of digital hoarding — in the home or at work — is an environmental one. Hoarded data has to be stored somewhere. The reluctance to have a digital clear-out can contribute to the development of increasingly large servers that use <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/global-warming-data-centres-to-consume-three-times-as-much-energy-in-next-decade-experts-warn-a6830086.html">considerable amounts of energy</a> to cool and maintain them.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A long corridor of servers" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378583/original/file-20210113-17-72g3rs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378583/original/file-20210113-17-72g3rs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378583/original/file-20210113-17-72g3rs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378583/original/file-20210113-17-72g3rs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378583/original/file-20210113-17-72g3rs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378583/original/file-20210113-17-72g3rs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378583/original/file-20210113-17-72g3rs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Data stored online is saved on servers, which have a large carbon footprint.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/white-servers-data-center-room-computers-1464134255">sedcoret/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How to tackle digital hoarding</h2>
<p>Research has shown that physical hoarders can <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cant-let-go-hoarding-201405227163">develop strategies</a> to reduce their accumulation behaviours. While people can be helped to stop accumulating, they are more resistant when it comes to actually getting rid of their cherished possessions — perhaps because <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886914004863">they “anthropomorphise” them</a>, treating inanimate objects as if they had thoughts and feelings. </p>
<p>We don’t yet know enough about digital hoarding to see whether similar difficulties apply, or whether existing coping strategies will work in the digital world, too. But we have found that asking people how many files they think they have often surprises and alarms them, forcing them to reflect on their digital accumulation and storing behaviours.</p>
<p>As hoarding is often <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S000579670100136X">associated with anxiety and insecurity</a>, addressing the source of these negative emotions may alleviate hoarding behaviours. Workplaces can do more here, by reducing non-essential email traffic, making it very clear what information should be retained or discarded, and by delivering training on workplace data responsibilities. </p>
<p>In doing so, companies can reduce the anxiety and insecurity related to getting rid of obsolete or unnecessary information, helping workers to avoid the compulsion to obsessively save and store the bulk of their digital data.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/153111/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nick Neave receives funding from CREST (Centre for Research
and Evidence on Security Threats) —an independent Centre commissioned
by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). </span></em></p>Physical hoarding has been studied for decades - but now, new forms of digital hoarding are emerging.Nick Neave, Associate Professor in Psychology, and Director of the Hoarding Research Group, Northumbria University, NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1494222020-11-17T13:22:32Z2020-11-17T13:22:32ZHoarding, stockpiling, panic buying: What’s normal behavior in an abnormal time?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/369168/original/file-20201112-23-1t4qlhq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C0%2C3958%2C2970&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Hoarding, stockpiling and panic buying have all increased during the pandemic. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/man-carries-heap-of-toilet-paper-royalty-free-image/1213254321?adppopup=true">Grace Cary via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Symptoms of <a href="https://formative.jmir.org/2020/10/e22043/">depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders</a> have emerged or worsened for many during the pandemic. This is no surprise to clinicians and scientists, who have been increasing worldwide access to mental health information and <a href="https://wellness.med.ufl.edu/">resources</a>. </p>
<p>But what effect has the pandemic had on another common but often misunderstood problem – hoarding? The issue first received attention when people piled up paper towels, toilet tissue and hand sanitizer in their shopping carts <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/11/heres-why-people-are-panic-buying-and-stockpiling-toilet-paper.html">at the start of the pandemic</a>, leading some people to wonder whether they or a loved one were showing signs of hoarding disorder.</p>
<p>The short answer is: Probably not. Hoarding disorder goes beyond stockpiling in an emergency. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=GuqlxnAAAAAJ&hl=en">I am a psychiatrist</a> at the University of Florida and the director of the <a href="https://coard.psychiatry.ufl.edu/">Center for OCD, Anxiety and Related Disorders</a>. I also recently <a href="https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393713572/about-the-book/reviews">authored a book</a> on hoarding disorder. My work focuses on identifying the causes of hoarding and its impact on individuals and on society.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Millions of Americans have hoarding disorder." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/369172/original/file-20201112-13-nelw40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/369172/original/file-20201112-13-nelw40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369172/original/file-20201112-13-nelw40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369172/original/file-20201112-13-nelw40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369172/original/file-20201112-13-nelw40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369172/original/file-20201112-13-nelw40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369172/original/file-20201112-13-nelw40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Millions of Americans have hoarding disorder, a serious psychiatric illness.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/abandoned-home-royalty-free-image/157568086?adppopup=true">shaunl via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Millions have hoarding disorder</h2>
<p>Although often sensationalized in the popular press as a behavioral <a href="https://dailytitan.com/opinion/the-way-the-media-portrays-mental-illnesses-like-hoarding-and-ocd-maintain-harmful-stereotypes/article_f1edb9a1-33ad-521e-98c2-90eef9486df5.html">oddity</a>, <a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/hoarding-disorder/what-is-hoarding-disorder">hoarding disorder</a> is a serious psychiatric illness affecting more than 13 million American adults. The cause is a complex interaction of biological and environmental factors. Doctors have known about hoarding for centuries, although the disorder was only formally recognized by the psychiatric community as a <a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm">distinct psychiatric illness</a> in 2013. Perhaps the most famous person who had a hoarding disorder was <a href="http://indianmentalhealth.com/pdf/2015/vol2-issue2/The_Aviator.pdf">Howard Hughes</a>. </p>
<p>The disorder is chronic and often lifelong. Although symptoms typically begin in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22896">adolescence</a>, they usually do not become problematic until mid- to late adulthood. No one knows exactly why the disorder takes so long to manifest; perhaps as those with hoarding symptoms get older, their ability to decide what to discard becomes increasingly impaired. Or they might have fewer people around, like parents or spouses, to encourage them to get rid of unneeded items. </p>
<p>What is clear is that the increase in hoarding behaviors across the lifespan is not just a result of a lifetime’s accumulation of clutter. About <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2016.11.006">7% of adults</a> over age 60 have problematic hoarding; that’s one in every 14 people. </p>
<p>And contrary to popular belief, the defining feature of hoarding disorder is not clutter. Instead, it is the difficulty in discarding what’s no longer needed. The most commonly hoarded items are everyday belongings: clothes, shoes, containers, tools and mechanical objects like nails and screws, household supplies, newspapers, mail and magazines. Those with the disorder report feeling indecision about what to discard, or fear the item will be needed in the future. </p>
<p>This trouble in disposing of items, even common items like junk mail, plastic bags and plastic containers, leads to the accumulation of clutter. Over time, living and work spaces become unusable. In addition to affecting living spaces, hoarding also causes problems between spouses, between parents and their children, and between friends. At its worst, hoarding can also impact one’s ability to work. </p>
<p>Hoarding disorder has a substantial impact on public health, including not only <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2007.08.008">lost work days</a> but also increased rates of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2013.814105">medical illness</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocrd.2018.11.001">depression, anxiety</a>, risk of suicide and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22439">cognitive impairment</a>. As many as half of those suffering from hoarding disorder will also suffer from depression, and 30% or more will have an anxiety disorder. </p>
<p>Hoarding-related clutter in homes increases the <a href="https://www.mentalhealthsf.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/BeyondOverwhelmed.pdf">risk of falls</a>, pest or vermin infestation, unstable or unsafe living conditions and difficulty with self-care. It may stun you to know that up to 25% of <a href="https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/iqp-all/592/">deaths by house fire</a> are due to hoarding. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="During the pandemic, stores across the U.S. ran out of common household items, like toilet paper." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/369169/original/file-20201112-21-2rao60.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/369169/original/file-20201112-21-2rao60.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369169/original/file-20201112-21-2rao60.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369169/original/file-20201112-21-2rao60.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369169/original/file-20201112-21-2rao60.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369169/original/file-20201112-21-2rao60.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369169/original/file-20201112-21-2rao60.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Because of excessive stockpiling and panic buying, stores across the U.S. ran out of common household items during the pandemic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/general-view-of-the-empty-toilet-paper-and-paper-towel-news-photo/1207061653?adppopup=true">Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Stockpiling and panic buying</h2>
<p>What is the difference between stockpiling, panic buying and hoarding? Will someone who stockpiled toilet paper and hand sanitizer in the early days of the pandemic develop hoarding disorder? Or are they instead rational and thoughtful planners?</p>
<p>While these terms are often used interchangeably, stockpiling and panic buying are not symptoms of hoarding disorder. Nor are they necessarily the result of a psychiatric or psychological condition. Instead, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stockpile">stockpiling</a> is a normal behavior that many people practice in preparation for a known or anticipated shortage. The goal of stockpiling is to create a reserve in case there’s a future need.</p>
<p>For example, people who live in cold climates may stock up on wood for fireplaces and salt for driveways before the winter. Similarly, those who live in the southeast U.S. may stock up on gasoline and water before hurricane season.</p>
<p>That said, stockpiling can be excessive. During a crisis, it can lead to national shortages of essential items. This occurred early in the pandemic, when people bought toilet paper in large quantities and emptied store shelves for everyone else. </p>
<p>Ironically, the more media attention on stockpiling, the more it triggers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12480">additional stockpiling</a>. People reading about a potential shortage of hand sanitizer will be driven to buy as much as possible until it’s no longer available for weeks or months.</p>
<p>While stockpiling is planned, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_buying">panic buying</a> is an impulsive and temporary reaction to anxiety caused by an impending crisis. Items, even if unneeded, may be purchased simply because they are available on store shelves. Panic buying may also include purchasing enormous quantities of a particular item, in volumes that will never be needed, or emptying a store shelf of that item. Panic acquiring, which involves getting free things through giveaways, food pantries or scavenging, also occurs during a crisis. </p>
<p>Unlike those with hoarding disorder, panic buyers and stockpilers are able to discard something no longer needed. Usually, after the crisis has passed, they can easily throw or give these items away. </p>
<h2>How to get help</h2>
<p>For some with hoarding disorder, the pandemic has made it even harder to dispose of unneeded items. Others find their material belongings provide comfort and safety in the face of increased uncertainty. Yet others have used the lockdowns as a reset – time to finally declutter their home. </p>
<p>If you or someone you know has problems with hoarding, help is available. Resources are on the <a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/hoarding-disorder/what-is-hoarding-disorder">American Psychiatric Association</a> website and at the <a href="https://hoarding.iocdf.org/">International Obsessive Compulsive Foundation</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/149422/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carol Mathews receives funding from the National Institute of Health. She is affiliated with the Tourette Association of America, and the International Obsessive Compulsive Foundation. She is the author of the book: Recognizing and Treating Hoarding Disorder: How Much is Too Much? published by W.W. Norton & Co.</span></em></p>The pandemic has put a spotlight on a once little-discussed disorder – hoarding. But hoarding disorder is not what you might think.Carol Mathews, Professor of Psychiatry, University of FloridaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1103572019-01-24T02:27:34Z2019-01-24T02:27:34ZMy possessions spark joy! Will the KonMari decluttering method work for me?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255276/original/file-20190124-135151-waenrt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Some people have an emotional reaction to many of their possessions, making it a challenge to get rid of anything.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/drawer-underwear-closet-mens-clothing-lying-487581085?src=2gjJw_KjAOJosbEJ8x3FhQ-1-82">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australia is the <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/environment/municipal-waste/indicator/english_89d5679a-en">sixth-largest</a> contributor of household waste per capita in the world. We spend more than <a href="http://www.tai.org.au/node/940">$A10.5 billion</a> annually on goods and services that are never or rarely used. </p>
<p>One-quarter of Australians admit to throwing away clothing <a href="https://au.yougov.com/news/2017/12/06/fast-fashion/">after just one use</a>, while at the other end of the extreme, 5% of the population save unused items with such tenacity that their homes become <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181962/">dangerously cluttered</a>. </p>
<p>If unnecessary purchases come at such a profound cost, why do we make them?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/time-for-a-kondo-clean-out-heres-what-clutter-does-to-your-brain-and-body-109947">Time for a Kondo clean-out? Here's what clutter does to your brain and body</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Why do we buy so much stuff?</h2>
<p>We acquire some possessions because of their perceived usefulness. We might buy a computer to complete work tasks, or a pressure cooker to make meal preparation easier. </p>
<p>But consumer goods often have a psychological value that outweighs their functional value. This can drive us to acquire and keep things we could do without. </p>
<p>Possessions can act as an <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jcr/article/15/2/139/1841428">extension of ourselves</a>. They may remind us of our personal history, our connection to other people, and who we are or want to be. Wearing a uniform may convince us we are a different person. Keeping family photos may remind us that we are loved. A home library may reveal our appreciation for knowledge and enjoyment of reading. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255126/original/file-20190123-135133-1n7ffvx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255126/original/file-20190123-135133-1n7ffvx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255126/original/file-20190123-135133-1n7ffvx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255126/original/file-20190123-135133-1n7ffvx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255126/original/file-20190123-135133-1n7ffvx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=520&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255126/original/file-20190123-135133-1n7ffvx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=520&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255126/original/file-20190123-135133-1n7ffvx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=520&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Family photos show our connection to people we love.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">istock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Acquiring and holding onto possessions can bring us comfort and emotional security. But these feelings cloud our judgement about how useful the objects are and prompt us to hang onto things we haven’t used in years. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/when-stuff-gets-in-the-way-of-life-hoarding-and-the-dsm-5-10074">When stuff gets in the way of life: hoarding and the DSM-5</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>When this behaviour crosses over into hoarding disorder, we may notice: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>a persistent difficulty discarding possessions, regardless of their actual value</p></li>
<li><p>that this difficulty arises because we feel we <em>need</em> to save the items and/or avoid the distress associated with discarding them</p></li>
<li><p>that our home has become so cluttered we cannot use it as intended. We might not be able to sit on our sofa, cook in our kitchen, sleep in our bed, or park our car in the garage</p></li>
<li><p>the saving behaviour is impacting our quality of life. We might experience significant family strain or be embarrassed to invite others into our home. Our safety might be at risk, or we may have financial problems. These problems can contribute to <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/bjc.12212">workplace difficulties</a>. </p></li>
</ol>
<h2>Will the KonMari method help?</h2>
<p>According to Japanese tidying consultant <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-life-changing-magic-of-tidying-up-marie-kondo/prod9781607747307.html?zsrc=d-stocked&gclid=Cj0KCQiAm5viBRD4ARIsADGUT25gYCqaxUUKyvskmVS_R-fO4F0c9K59vPwZsaLgO6fgwK57pQEWZpcaAkFVEALw_wcB">Marie Kondo</a>, “everyone who completes the KonMari Method has successfully kept their house in order”. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1080134496601759744"}"></div></p>
<p>But while some aspects of the KonMari method are consistent with existing evidence, others may be inadvisable, particularly for those with clinical hoarding problems.</p>
<p>Kondo suggests that before starting her process, people should visualise what they want their home to look like after decluttering. A similar clinical technique is used when <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005796711001872?via%3Dihub">treating</a> hoarding disorder. Images of one’s ideal home can act as a powerful amplifier for positive emotions, thereby increasing motivation to discard and organise. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/marie-kondo-a-psychologist-assesses-the-konmari-method-of-tidying-110217">Marie Kondo: a psychologist assesses the KonMari method of tidying</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Next, the KonMari Method involves organising by category rather than by location. Tidying should be done in a specific order. People should tackle clothing, books, paper, <em>komono</em> (kitchen, bathroom, garage, and miscellaneous), and then sentimental items. </p>
<p>Organising begins with placing every item within a category on the floor. This suggestion has an evidence base. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032717327167?via%3Dihub">Our research</a> has shown people tend to discard more possessions when surrounded by clutter as opposed to being in a tidy environment. </p>
<p>However, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005796710001075?via%3Dihub">organising</a> and categorising possessions in any context is challenging for people with hoarding disorder.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255270/original/file-20190124-135130-qpsvd5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255270/original/file-20190124-135130-qpsvd5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255270/original/file-20190124-135130-qpsvd5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255270/original/file-20190124-135130-qpsvd5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255270/original/file-20190124-135130-qpsvd5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255270/original/file-20190124-135130-qpsvd5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255270/original/file-20190124-135130-qpsvd5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People who hoard might have an emotional reaction to all their books.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/734987683?src=97BZQ18HmtJjl548Q2muRA-1-66&size=huge_jpg">Sharad Raval/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Marie Kondo gives sage advice about whether to keep possessions we think we’ll use in the future. A focus on future utility is a common thinking trap, as many saved items are never used. She encourages us to think about the true purpose of possessions: wearing the shirt or reading the book. If we aren’t doing those things, we should give the item to someone who will. </p>
<p>Another Kondo suggestion is to thank our possessions before we discard them. This is to recognise that an item has served its purpose. She believes this process will facilitate letting go. </p>
<p>However, by thanking our items we might inadvertently increase their perceived humanness. <a href="https://akademiai.com/doi/abs/10.1556/2006.7.2018.98">Anthropomorphising</a> inanimate objects increases the sentimental value and perceived utility of items, which increases object attachment. </p>
<p>People who are dissatisfied with their interpersonal relationships are more prone to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886918300461">anthropomorphism</a> and have more difficulty <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165178118318122">making decisions</a>. This strategy may be particularly unhelpful for them. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/when-possessions-are-poor-substitutes-for-people-hoarding-disorder-and-loneliness-97784">When possessions are poor substitutes for people: hoarding disorder and loneliness</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>One of Kondo’s key messages is to discard any item that does not “spark joy”. </p>
<p>But for someone with excessive emotional attachment to objects, focusing on one’s emotional reaction may not be helpful. People who hoard things experience intense positive emotions in response to many of their possessions, so this may not help them declutter.</p>
<h2>Think about how you get rid of things</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/About-us/Latest-news/2019/01/10/23/21/Urgent-advisory-for-Netflix-inspired-declutterers">Sustainability Victoria</a> recently urged Netflix-inspired declutterers to reduce, reuse, and recycle rather than just tossing unwanted items into landfill. </p>
<p>Dumping everything into the op-shop or local charity bin is also problematic. Aussie charities are paying <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-04/charities-spending-millions-cleaning-up-fast-fashion-graveyard/10328758">A$13 million a year</a> to send unusable donations to landfill. </p>
<p>Ultimately, we need to make more thoughtful decisions about both acquiring and discarding possessions. We need to buy less, buy used, and pass our possessions on to someone else when we have stopped using them for their intended purpose. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/so-youve-konmaried-your-life-heres-how-to-throw-your-stuff-out-109945">So you've KonMari'ed your life: here's how to throw your stuff out</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110357/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melissa Norberg is the Deputy Director for the Centre for Emotional Health at Macquarie University. She is also the Incoming President for the Australian Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy. She has received funding from the International OCD Foundation to study hoarding disorder. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica Grisham is a Professor in the School of Psychology at UNSW Sydney. She has received funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p>While the KonMari method will help many people declutter their houses and reassess what they really need, for people with clinical hoarding disorder the process is much more complicated.Melissa Norberg, Associate Professor in Psychology, Macquarie UniversityJessica Grisham, Professor in Psychology, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/977842018-06-11T20:37:47Z2018-06-11T20:37:47ZWhen possessions are poor substitutes for people: hoarding disorder and loneliness<p>A decomposed, mummified body of a man was <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/mummified-body-was-in-greenwich-house-for-more-than-10-years-police-20180604-p4zjd2.html">recently found</a> by forensic cleaners in a Sydney apartment. The apartment’s owner is thought to have suffered from hoarding disorder, and police believe the decomposed body had been there for more than ten years.</p>
<p>We occasionally read stories involving people with hoarding disorder - people whose possessions pose a serious burden. Clutter might prevent them from sitting on their sofa, taking a shower, cooking a meal, or sleeping in their bed. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/when-stuff-gets-in-the-way-of-life-hoarding-and-the-dsm-5-10074">When stuff gets in the way of life: hoarding and the DSM-5</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Despite the lack of space, they find it impossible to part with items they don’t need. Why is it so hard for them to let go of their possessions?</p>
<h2>Loving things</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/222310/original/file-20180608-137301-vop9mz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/222310/original/file-20180608-137301-vop9mz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/222310/original/file-20180608-137301-vop9mz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=832&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/222310/original/file-20180608-137301-vop9mz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=832&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/222310/original/file-20180608-137301-vop9mz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=832&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/222310/original/file-20180608-137301-vop9mz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1046&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/222310/original/file-20180608-137301-vop9mz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1046&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/222310/original/file-20180608-137301-vop9mz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1046&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children hold onto teddy bears to feel secure.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As children, we use possessions to comfort ourselves when our parents are unavailable. By the time we reach adulthood, most of us have abandoned our security blankets and teddy bears. We might occasionally buy something unnecessary or hang on to a few items we no longer need.</p>
<p>In most cases, these few extra possessions don’t pose a problem. We store them in the closet or display them proudly on a shelf. But our stuff never creeps beyond that point. We have a few treasured objects, but we don’t rely on them to make us feel good – at least not on a regular basis. </p>
<p>It’s a different story for the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181962/">1.2 million Australians</a> who meet the <a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm">DSM-5</a> criteria for hoarding disorder. These include:</p>
<ul>
<li>difficulty discarding items regardless of their actual value</li>
<li>a perceived need to save the items and associated distress at the idea of losing them</li>
<li>clutter that prevents using the home being used for its intended purpose.</li>
</ul>
<p>Hoarding disorder leads to a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022395610002487">quality of life</a> as poor as that of people with schizophrenia. Clutter <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165178107002922">increases the risks</a> of injury, medical conditions, and death. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://web.cs.wpi.edu/%7Erek/Projects/MFB_D09.pdf">quarter</a> to a <a href="https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/gallery/files/pdf/projects/Fire_Research_Report_Research_Tests_Hoarding_Fire_Behaviour.pdf">third</a> of Australian residential fire-related deaths are associated with hoarding disorder. </p>
<p>For those with hoarding disorder, possessions remind them of the past and foreshadow a potential future. They can remember their child wearing that outfit or playing with that toy. They are certain that jug will be useful some day, despite having many other jugs they have never used. They are extremely attached to their possessions for one reason or another. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-an-anxiety-disorder-8206">Explainer: what is an anxiety disorder?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Just thinking about disposing of their items makes people with hoarding disorder feel highly anxious. Their anxiety is similar to what others may feel about giving a speech or finding a spider in their shoe. Believing they can’t cope with the distress of losing their possessions, they hang on tightly. Doing so unfortunately strengthens their beliefs that their possessions are needed. </p>
<h2>Objects as human substitutes</h2>
<p>If children regularly use objects for comfort during times of need, why doesn’t everyone have a hoarding problem? We think it is because some people are more prone to anthropomorphism. Anthropomorphism is when an object is perceived to have human-like qualities. </p>
<p>Humans need to be connected physically, socially, and psychologically to other humans. This need is just as important as the need for air, water, food, and shelter. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3874845/">Loneliness</a> negatively affects our health and is a risk factor for early death. Understandably, when we feel devalued or unloved, we <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0065260100800039">seek out closeness</a>. When our need isn’t met by humans, objects may serve as a substitute. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-deadly-truth-about-loneliness-43785">The deadly truth about loneliness</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Individuals who hoard items tend to experience <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/da.20327">interpersonal difficulties</a>, feel <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211364917301161">insecure in relationships</a>, and believe themselves to be a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022395616301893">burden to others</a>. To compensate for unmet social needs, they <a href="https://akademiai.com/doi/pdf/10.1556/2006.7.2018.08">anthropomorphise objects</a> to feel connected. </p>
<p>Anthropomorphism doesn’t fully meet people’s needs, so they collect more and more objects. Stronger anthropomorphic tendencies are associated with more compulsive buying and greater acquisition of free stuff. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/221938/original/file-20180606-137315-7sc58l.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/221938/original/file-20180606-137315-7sc58l.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/221938/original/file-20180606-137315-7sc58l.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/221938/original/file-20180606-137315-7sc58l.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/221938/original/file-20180606-137315-7sc58l.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/221938/original/file-20180606-137315-7sc58l.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/221938/original/file-20180606-137315-7sc58l.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/221938/original/file-20180606-137315-7sc58l.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Clutter that sufficiently prevents the use of the living room for its original purpose.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">A/Prof Melissa Norberg</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The current treatment approach teaches individuals how to challenge their beliefs about possessions. It also teaches them how to resist acquiring urges and how to sort, organise, and discard possessions. This approach helps only about a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0005796711001872">quarter of people</a> who receive it.</p>
<p>We used to think <a href="https://academic.oup.com/hsw/article-pdf/26/3/176/1982006/26-3-176.pdf">social disconnection</a> was a consequence of hoarding. Now, we think it may be part of the cause. At <a href="http://lifelineh2h.org.au/get-help/groups/compulsive-hoarding-treatment-program/">Lifeline Harbour to Hawkesbury</a>, Macquarie University, and UNSW, we are piloting an enhanced hoarding treatment. This treatment addresses core hoarding problems as well as helping to improve impaired social connections.</p>
<p>The consequences of hoarding escalate as people get older. Without treatment, the consequences (such as fire) of hoarding disorder costs Australia an <a href="http://www.clcn.org.au/images/pdfs/CHS-Beyond-Overwhelmed.pdf">estimated A$36,880 per person</a>, per occurrence. If we can help people feel valued and loved, they may benefit more from treatment. In turn, they may experience a desperately needed improvement in their quality of life.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/97784/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melissa Norberg is the Deputy Director for the Centre for Emotional Health at Macquarie University.The International OCD Foundation funded some of the research discussed within this article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica Grisham is an Associate Professor and Australian Research Council Future Fellow in the School of Psychology at UNSW Sydney. </span></em></p>To compensate for unmet social needs, people project lifelike qualities onto objects to feel connected. But this doesn’t fully meet people’s needs, so they collect more and more objects.Melissa Norberg, Associate Professor in Psychology, Macquarie UniversityJessica Grisham, Associate Professor in Psychology, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/807212017-07-13T01:53:50Z2017-07-13T01:53:50ZCherishing stuff with a photo can help you let go of it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177952/original/file-20170712-19701-1952jks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Years from now, she'll probably be ready to part with her photo assistant.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/little-child-photographer-taking-photo-her-381904279">Angela Waye/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Picture your favorite childhood stuffed animal. Are you clinging to it even though neither you nor anyone else in your household has played with that creature in years?</p>
<p>If so, you’re not alone. Parting with possessions we don’t need is a struggle for many Americans. We have an average of at least <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20070426005614/en/Average-U.S.-Household-50-Unused-Items-Worth">50 unused items in our homes</a>, including clothing, electronic devices and toys. Just as common: our desire to ditch this excess baggage, which has fired up the market for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/10/magazine/marie-kondo-and-the-ruthless-war-on-stuff.html">Marie Kondo’s best-selling books</a>, <a href="https://www.sparefoot.com/self-storage/blog/7525-decluttering-blogs-to-follow/">blogs</a> and a <a href="https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/organizing/professional-organizers">magazine called Real Simple</a> devoted in part to helping people ditch their clutter.</p>
<p>As consumer psychologists, we wanted to know why people have so much trouble parting with possessions they no longer use. To gain some insight, we zeroed in on items with sentimental value in a series of studies recently published in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.16.0311">Journal of Marketing</a>. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qxG25DkiF88?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">An old pair of basketball shorts, acquired in junior high school, inspired this research.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Storing memories</h2>
<p>Things that are tied to <a href="http://www.theminimalists.com/sentimental/">emotionally significant memories</a> may represent a piece of your identity. When you struggle to part with that jersey you wore on the junior varsity basketball team, for example, you are not really clinging to the shirt itself. Instead, you’re hanging onto the memories represented by that now-tattered item of clothing you probably won’t wear again. Its sentimental value may make giving the jersey away feel like giving up a piece of your own identity.</p>
<p>We set out to test ways to help people donate goods that are meaningful to them. In studies conducted online and in person, we found that participants reported that they would experience less identity loss from donating a cherished item if they had photographed it or preserved the memory of it some other way.</p>
<p>Initially, in an online study, we let our subjects choose how to handle this. Nearly two out of three opted for photography, by far the most popular method. The other most common techniques included creating a scrapbook page or making a video about it – the approach taken by 22 percent of our participants – and writing a note or making a journal entry – selected by 13 percent.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177953/original/file-20170712-19649-xoe1ks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177953/original/file-20170712-19649-xoe1ks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177953/original/file-20170712-19649-xoe1ks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177953/original/file-20170712-19649-xoe1ks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177953/original/file-20170712-19649-xoe1ks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177953/original/file-20170712-19649-xoe1ks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=548&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177953/original/file-20170712-19649-xoe1ks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=548&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177953/original/file-20170712-19649-xoe1ks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=548&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People can have trouble discarding stuff they don’t use any more because of the memories associated with those items.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-girl-playing-stuffed-animal-teddy-301530881">Angela Waye/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Given how easy smartphones make digital photography, our results perhaps should come as no surprise. Many of us already rely on our phones to “<a href="http://fortune.com/2015/07/21/smartphone-memory/">remember</a>” all kinds of information, ranging from birthdays to where we have parked our cars.</p>
<h2>Saving sentiments</h2>
<p>The findings supported <a href="https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.16.0311">our theory</a> that photographs can preserve the memories tied to sentimental items and make people more likely to donate them. In other words, people don’t want these things – they just want to keep the memories they represent intact. When grownups capture the memories they associate with their favorite stuffed animal in a photograph, they often stop fearing they will lose those memories and feel free to let go of the item.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177947/original/file-20170712-19642-1s2fdlq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177947/original/file-20170712-19642-1s2fdlq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177947/original/file-20170712-19642-1s2fdlq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=788&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177947/original/file-20170712-19642-1s2fdlq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=788&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177947/original/file-20170712-19642-1s2fdlq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=788&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177947/original/file-20170712-19642-1s2fdlq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=991&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177947/original/file-20170712-19642-1s2fdlq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=991&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177947/original/file-20170712-19642-1s2fdlq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=991&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Flyer the researchers distributed for this study.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Rebecca Walker Reczek, Julie Irwin and Karen Winterich</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To test whether photographing objects with sentimental value actually increases donations, we studied the behavior of <a href="http://www.psu.edu/">Pennsylvania State University</a> students. First, we placed signs <a href="http://sites.psu.edu/trash2treasure/">for a donation drive</a> for discarded stuff at the end of the school year in eight dorms housing a total of more than 800 male and female undergraduate students. In four dorms, the signs suggested that students photograph items with sentimental value that they no longer used before donating them. The rest had signs that just solicited donations.</p>
<p>Students who were encouraged to photograph things before giving them away donated 35 percent more items than in the dorms where they didn’t get that prompt. We tallied 1,098 items donated in the dorms where students were encouraged to shoot photos of their stuff, versus 815 items in the other dorms.</p>
<p>We repeated this exercise at the end of the fall semester in six all-female dorms about the same size as the prior study. Though fewer than half of the students were moving out, the rate of donation was still 15 percent higher in the dorm where they saw the suggestion about photographing items of sentimental value – a statistically significant difference.</p>
<p>We also conducted research outside a university setting by asking donors dropping off items at a <a href="https://www.svdpusa.org/">St. Vincent de Paul</a> thrift store near the Penn State campus to see if any of the stuff they were donating had sentimental value. About half of the donors dropping off items with sentimental value received pictures of their donated goods that our research assistants snapped with a Polaroid-style instant camera while the other half did not get a picture.</p>
<p>Afterward, we asked these donors whether they felt like they had lost a piece of themselves when parting with their items. Those who got the photos reported significantly less identity loss, suggesting that the photography truly helped them purge.</p>
<p>Taken together, our studies suggest that shooting pictures can help people get rid of possessions with sentimental value.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177948/original/file-20170712-10278-90yslt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177948/original/file-20170712-10278-90yslt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177948/original/file-20170712-10278-90yslt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177948/original/file-20170712-10278-90yslt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177948/original/file-20170712-10278-90yslt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177948/original/file-20170712-10278-90yslt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177948/original/file-20170712-10278-90yslt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177948/original/file-20170712-10278-90yslt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">These are some of the things the Penn State students who participated in this clutter-reduction study gave away.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Karen Winterich</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Other clutter</h2>
<p>Our findings also suggest that photography is no universal cure for clutter. </p>
<p>For example, when we asked people in our studies to take pictures of these items before selling them, that action didn’t help. The idea of placing monetary value on these things appeared to turn them off, as <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1057740805700875">previous research</a> suggests it might. One possible explanation: consumers are reluctant to monetize cherished possessions. </p>
<p>Participants were reluctant to sell sentimental items regardless of whether they were prompted to photograph them or not. </p>
<p>Similarly, we found that shooting photos of stuff lacking sentimental value didn’t make people more likely to get rid of it. We believe that was because the pictures didn’t preserve emotionally significant memories. Consumers often keep things without sentimental value out of a desire <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2011.05.003">to be frugal</a>.</p>
<p>Of course <a href="http://www.amazinggoodwill.com/donating/donor-guidelines">charities won’t take</a> everything people should discard, including that worn-out teddy bear in your attic. Although we didn’t look into whether photography makes it easier for people to chuck stuff with sentimental value, we suspect that it wouldn’t work. Trashing prized possessions could feel too much like throwing out the memories that photos of them would help preserve.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177954/original/file-20170712-19675-1p7mhq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177954/original/file-20170712-19675-1p7mhq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177954/original/file-20170712-19675-1p7mhq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177954/original/file-20170712-19675-1p7mhq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177954/original/file-20170712-19675-1p7mhq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177954/original/file-20170712-19675-1p7mhq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177954/original/file-20170712-19675-1p7mhq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177954/original/file-20170712-19675-1p7mhq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Americans tend to have too much clutter in their homes, but having this much luggage would be unusual.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/many-travel-bags-133004567">keattikorn/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The takeaway</h2>
<p>Many nonprofits like <a href="http://www.goodwill.org/donate-and-shop/donate-stuff/">Goodwill</a> depend on donations of all kinds. But some specialize in attire that is bound to have some sentimental value. <a href="http://www.beccascloset.org/">Becca’s Closet</a>, a charity that distributes used prom dresses, and <a href="https://www.dressforsuccess.org/">Dress for Success</a>, which gives secondhand professional clothing away to low-income women, are two good examples.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.16.0311">Our research</a> suggests that charities like those could glean more donations by encouraging people to photograph meaningful items as they purge their closets.</p>
<p>If you, like most Americans, have dozens – if not hundreds – of surplus things, you should try this yourself. Letting others benefit from your stuff will extend its usefulness while helping them <a href="https://www.greenamerica.org/green-living/finding-new-life-old-clothes">save money</a>. Besides, you’ll surely feel happier in a <a href="http://www.expertrain.com/blog/happiness/why-cleaning-is-good-for-you.htm">less cluttered home</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/80721/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karen Winterich is affiliated with the Alzheimer's Association. This association does not represent a conflict of interest for this research.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julie Irwin and Rebecca Walker Reczek do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Most Americans cling to things with sentimental value that we no longer need. Taking pictures of these possessions may make it easier to give them away.Karen Winterich, Associate Professor of Marketing, Frank and Mary Smeal Research Fellow, Penn StateJulie Irwin, Marlene and Morton Meyerson Centennial Professor of Business, Department of Marketing and Department of Business, Government and Society, The University of Texas at AustinRebecca Walker Reczek, Associate Professor of Marketing, The Ohio State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/359672015-01-08T06:11:25Z2015-01-08T06:11:25ZWe are all hoarders but for some it spirals out of control<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/68364/original/image-20150107-1971-ghe39e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">One man's treasure. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/119338797@N06/14019943864/in/photolist-nmTSS5-7CwPBM-dNFRW3-8MQx66-5UyQTg-nPuyF9-6P9bvE-9pNGW-ajcLUC-9C9GXy-eMfysc-ajcFZd-b9gKwT-8DU3EV-dJtGto-dajx4j-4krQAT-d3N3zh-ecAyeg-bndFGz-mGehdj-59uQCC-mGeerY-mGcjMn-mGcAGg-8ygm7q-e7qiv-mrenAe-dg4ku-5MzWSV-aANqmw-bniAzn-KapEz-9ZBxLK-9ZBvX8-9ZEoa7-9ZBvGg-9ZBxSH-9ZEnRf-9ZEqvU-9ZEq9S-dMuCK2-9tLTvF-o7Emwu-99pg2T-dGDanL-dGGrRo-8vnj6n-fvhCn5-bAQezC-natywS">Robert F Gabriel</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Hoarding looks weird and is often cruelly parodied on television, where shows suggest that the solution to a compulsive desire to keep stuff is simply a matter of heroically chucking it out. But for those of us studying and working with people who hoard, it’s clear that for most of them this isn’t enough – not even close. It’s a bit like trying to help someone with depression, for example, by asking them to simply smile and get better. </p>
<p>Hoarding isn’t just about keeping things. To successfully make a difference to the lives of hoarders its important to look at and deal with what underpins it. Some would have it that it’s the result of <a href="https://theconversation.com/study-shows-compulsive-hoarders-struggle-to-categorise-12839">a wonky brain</a> or <a href="http://psychiatryonline.org/doi/pdf/10.1176/appi.ajp.2008.07101677">faulty genes</a> and, as with all mental health problems, it is very tempting to try to explain what appears to be inexplicable in this way. But these are not explanations – and it is not really so inexplicable.</p>
<p>Consider the way humans acquire things. Not only is accumulating more “stuff” than you need very common (think of collectors) but acquisition has come to be associated with high status, is much praised and can be very diverting. Consumerism is part of our culture; you are what is in your wardrobe. Imelda Marcos, the wife of former Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos, was defined more by her collection of more than 1,000 pairs of shoes than by any politics. </p>
<p>All of this is fine if you can discard stuff at about the same rate as you acquire. But what if you don’t – or can’t – discard anything? Not even down to the packaging and bits of plastic around the items you get. Or old newspapers that you keep intending to read, <a href="https://theconversation.com/hoarding-hundreds-of-pets-is-not-just-unhygienic-its-a-psychological-disorder-29923">or even animals</a>. And even when this gets so bad that it affects your life in some way, such as inhibiting free movement around your home? Something has clearly gone wrong, but what?</p>
<h2>Not just about OCD</h2>
<p>At the University of Bath we’ve been carrying out research based on the idea that hoarding is the end product of several different things (and we’re also <a href="https://twitter.com/hoarding_bath">looking out for volunteers</a> with difficulties with hoarding or collecting). After all, hoarding is quite simply having so much stuff that you can’t use your living space for, well, living. Your bath is full of shoes, your cooker has piles of paper on and around it, your bedroom is six foot deep in boxes and bits which are in front of your wardrobe – which is in any case stacked solid with a mix of papers, broken gadgets and packaging. Even, sometimes, years-old food. It’s an overwhelming situation. </p>
<p>Some of this is down to good old-fashioned obsessive compulsive disorder, which is driven by a desire to avoid causing harm to others. Those with OCD who hoard <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0887618513000315">often report</a> having worries that their rubbish will contaminate or otherwise harm others, or that throwing away a possession connected to somebody will cause something bad to happen to that person.</p>
<p>For others the experience of having nothing or losing everything seems to be important. The most obvious example can be found in refugees, who can go from being affluent to having only the clothes they stand up in. Less obvious examples include some people who hoard vividly recall coming home from school to find all their toys had been sold or thrown away – an experience that clearly affected them deeply. Others have experienced a parent being made redundant which led to them losing their family home. For these people, holding on to possessions can provide insurance against future deprivation or loses.</p>
<p>Most people reading this article will have special precious possessions; your father’s watch, your mother’s pearls, your childrens’ first shoes. What if everything that came into your possession had similar meaning? You wouldn’t throw anything away of course. Why might things be invested with such meaning? </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/68369/original/image-20150107-1999-y42rgq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/68369/original/image-20150107-1999-y42rgq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68369/original/image-20150107-1999-y42rgq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68369/original/image-20150107-1999-y42rgq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68369/original/image-20150107-1999-y42rgq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68369/original/image-20150107-1999-y42rgq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68369/original/image-20150107-1999-y42rgq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sentimental value.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/kwl/8042521586/sizes/l/in/photolist-dfG2th-d5j4Es-7HcJPY-5ppM8C-pwcqf3-6KPcyx-6ZzD4V-3ax3Td-5LTB3F-6cGHEp-f8yE4k-9ZBg4W-7mkyp5-e8whR-6PTJyu-6T3Vgq-nLfbkj-9YH5pq-84dACJ-4dzrvE-bBiPGo-uiR9T-aCfh3i-6GeM9q-6cM1Rq-bFcYy8-6cGS8v-e1bJaB-6cM1hf-7dkadU-7bNnmu-6kAFQW-aS3SRe-2tL3xm-8MugCV-9wjPLo-b7WYEz-eihLqE-9wgNUp-8dW3mp-8VZrmy-nBkqfX-nKozck-GToao-6ZDEJh-4xtrr1-hxH8pZ-egeA6g-6CX44t-hwbHMz-oekfgM/">Kennymatic</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We’re investigating the possibility that some people learn, very early in their life, that things they receive from others are more reliable and consistent that the people they came from – and this transfers into their general life. At first it affects stuff linked to your much-loved but unpredictable parents, but later all things with connections to other people are given special significance which means that they can’t be thrown away. Things make you happy where people have not. It all ends up as hoarding things and people living what amounts to a deprived lifestyle surrounded by things which they regard as valuable – buried in treasures. </p>
<h2>A malignant interaction</h2>
<p>All these different factors – OCD, a fear of loss, emotional attachment – can also combine with hoarding in a particularly problematic way. We think that, in some cases, having more than one of these factors can actually amplify the problems, something we call a “malignant interaction”.</p>
<p>Although often concealed, the distress from hoarding is real and can harm those affected. Environmental health departments know about rot and vermin in hoarders’ houses, but harm goes way beyond this – and includes dying of hoarding. Fire brigades know all too well that hoarding not only causes fires but that <a href="http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/Blaze-victim-hoarded-papers-inside-house/story-22914242-detail/story.html">these can be deadly</a>. </p>
<p>What we know is that different motivations to hoard need different approaches, and that any attempt to help must begin with understanding and care. With this we intend to establish better help for someone who has become overwhelmed by their possessions – and to help that person find a way out of a situation in which they can quite literally be trapped by what they own.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/35967/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Salkovskis is affiliated with the British Association for Cognitive and Behavioural Psychotherapy</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sinead Lambe does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Hoarding looks weird and is often cruelly parodied on television, where shows suggest that the solution to a compulsive desire to keep stuff is simply a matter of heroically chucking it out. But for those…Paul Salkovskis, Professor of Clinical Psychology and Applied Science, Director, University of Bath and AWP NHS Trust Centre for Specialist Psychological Treatments of Anxiety and Related Problems (CSPTARP), University of BathSinead Lambe, DClinPsy student in Clinical Psychology, University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/299232014-08-06T16:44:35Z2014-08-06T16:44:35ZHoarding hundreds of pets is not just unhygienic, it’s a psychological disorder<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/55876/original/27wwjbkd-1407330598.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">More than a pet problem.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ikayama/5538051784">Ikayama</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The broad category of hoarding has only recently been recognised as a psychiatric disorder. It first made an appearance in the 2013 edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the <a href="http://dsm.psychiatryonline.org/book.aspx?bookid=556">global reference book of mental health</a>. But while society seems to be aware of the problem of hoarding objects, animal hoarding, where dozens or hundreds of animals can be kept under bad and unsanitary conditions, remains under-recognised.</p>
<p>However, this is not because it is uncommon. Up to 2,000 new cases are <a href="http://vet.tufts.edu/hoarding/pubs/pubhlthrep.pdf">estimated to appear every year</a> in the US. And this is likely to be an underestimate, because there is a lack of public awareness that it is a condition and only very severe cases are identified.</p>
<p>This also means that very little research has been done on animal hoarding. Most has been done in the US by a group of experts called the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium. But interest in researching animal hoarding has been increasing, including two new studies published this year; <a href="http://www.imim.es/news/180/animal-hoarding-a-lesser-known-problem-for-public-health-and-welfare">one by myself and colleagues in Spain</a> and <a href="http://michiganpaw.org/tag/linda-marston">another in Australia</a>.</p>
<p>From this research, it is clear that this condition appears and has similarities across different cultures, but there are still many aspects of animal hoarding to uncover.</p>
<h2>The symptoms</h2>
<p>There are a number of symptoms, which when combined constitute an animal hoarding disorder. A prerequisite is having a large number of animals at home – we have seen cases of only ten animals, to people hoarding more than 500 in their homes. Sufferers are unable to provide the minimum standards of care for those animals and will deny or downplay the deplorable conditions they and their animals are living in. </p>
<p>This being such a new area of study, this is a very practical and descriptive definition of the disorder, which could change in the future when we know more about it. For example, the boundaries between functional and dysfunctional pet ownership are still not completely defined. Discovering these boundaries could lead to a different kind of definition and understanding of the problem.</p>
<h2>Negative effects</h2>
<p>However, if we take into account the current definition of animal hoarding, there are some key negative consequences of this psychiatric disorder. From the perspective of the animals, there can be severe welfare issues. Most of the animals found in animal hoarding cases are in deplorable conditions: sick, dirty, full of parasites and many dead animals can even be found when you enter an animal hoarder’s home.</p>
<p>Cases of animal hoarding can also lead to several public health issues in the surrounding environment including infestations of parasites, such as fleas and ticks, or environment toxicity, such as dangerous levels of ammonia from animal urine, in the air that people breath.</p>
<p>Then there are the hoarders themselves to think about. Animal hoarders live in the same unsanitary environment as their animals, maybe without being able to have a functional kitchen or even a clean bed to sleep.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/55878/original/2rhpsz9k-1407331028.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/55878/original/2rhpsz9k-1407331028.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55878/original/2rhpsz9k-1407331028.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55878/original/2rhpsz9k-1407331028.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55878/original/2rhpsz9k-1407331028.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55878/original/2rhpsz9k-1407331028.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55878/original/2rhpsz9k-1407331028.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pining for freedom?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Julicath</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The most common profile of an animal hoarder is a socially isolated, middle-aged or old woman who hoards cats or dogs – or both. However, men or even whole families, with children or other dependent relatives, can be animal hoarders or live in a hoarding situation. And not only dogs and cats are hoarded – other species that have been found include farm animals and reptiles.</p>
<p>From a health perspective, there is a way to go to understand what leads a person into these hopeless situations, where they are surrounded by dozens or even hundreds of animals and their faeces and urine. Early research shows that animal hoarding is often associated with attachment problems to other people, which leads to an excessive attachment to animals. This could be due to being a victim of neglect or abuse during childhood, as many of the known animal hoarders’ <a href="http://www.imim.es/news/180/animal-hoarding-a-lesser-known-problem-for-public-health-and-welfare">investigations indicated</a>.</p>
<p>Animal hoarding sometimes appears alongside other mental disorders, like object hoarding or dementia. A common trait is the lack of insight or awareness in hoarders of their situation, and there can also be certain lack of empathy with other creatures. </p>
<h2>Tackling the problem</h2>
<p>Even though the exact cause of animal hoarding needs more analysis, the first steps for tackling this problem are broadly agreed on by those researching it. Earlier detection of cases could come from increasing public awareness of the problem, and a simple change in society’s perception of animal hoarding could save many animals’ lives and prevent severe human and public health consequences.</p>
<p>There also needs to be standardised policies for effective interventions when animal hoarding is identified. These need to respond to both the animals and the hoarder’s needs. Currently, only a few states in the US have policies in place to deal with the disorder.</p>
<p>It’s also important that those found hoarding animals are taken care of. At present, when a case is detected, the animals are removed but no attention is given to the person suffering. More often than not this person doesn’t realise that their animals are in poor health and are likely to soon start hoarding again. They need individual mental health treatment, as soon as possible, to prevent the usual evolution of a terrible and long-term condition.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/29923/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paula Calvo Soler consults to and receives funding from Affinity Foundation.</span></em></p>The broad category of hoarding has only recently been recognised as a psychiatric disorder. It first made an appearance in the 2013 edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders…Paula Calvo Soler, PhD in Anthrozoology- Researcher at Chair Affinity Foundation Animals and Health. Department of Psychiatry, Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.