About Hoarding Disorder

Safety & Social issues

People with hoarding disorder excessively save items and refuse to discard them. This causes distress not only for the hoarder but also for family and members of their community. Hoarding causes major interference with work and social life. The home of someone with hoarding disorder can be so severely cluttered that normal everyday activities become impossible. Hoarding prevents living spaces from being be used in the way they were supposed to be used. For example, living rooms would be so cluttered that visitors would not be able to come sit down, bathrooms may be so cluttered and unsanitary that outsiders would not feel safe using or even entering the bathroom.

Hoarding can cause fatal falls, especially in older adults, poor sanitation, an inability to eat in the home, and serious health risks from infestation. Hoarders typically suffer from strained relationships with family and friends because of the hoarding. Family members of people who hoard cannot invite friends over as they may be embarrassed by the clutter. Romantic relationships and daily life activities are significantly impaired because of the hoarding.

People with hoarding disorder also may experience threats from authorities (police, health department officials, landlords) who will demand the hoarding behaviors stop because of health risks. Hoarding can be so severe that adults can lose custody of children. They can also be faced with eviction.

Hoarders may not have working appliance or washroom facilities. In severe cases appliances are not functional and water and electricity may be shut off.

Hoarding can increase the risk of death from house fires. Stacked and cluttered possessions can block exits and doorways used to flee a fire. A 10-year review of residential fires in Victoria, Australia revealed that hoarding residences accounted for 24% of all fire related fatalities.

Gender Issues

Information about gender differences in hoarding has not been consistent. Some studies have found hoarding to be more common in men than in women while some studies have found the opposite. At this time there appear to be no differences between genders on measures of clutter or difficulty with getting rid of clutter, but some research has shown that women are more likely to go out and acquire more possessions more often than men. This finding may be connected to the fact that women are more likely to buy compulsively. Men have been found to be more likely to acquire more free things than women (70% men; 57% women) and to be more likely to steal items (16% men; 8% women).

Cultural Issues

Hoarding behaviors exist all over the world but few studies examine hoarding criteria across cultures. A study was done on hoarding behaviors on the Japanese. The hoarding characteristics of the Japanese hoarding patients were similar to patients from Western cultures as far as what types of items were saved and the extent of the clutter.

In a study of OCD in African Americans, it was found that African American hoarders were more likely to suffer from substance use disorder. It is believed that the effects of alcohol use contributed to people neglecting organizing and uncluttering their living space. This study also found that African American hoarders had difficulty with indecisiveness.

How can you know if someone is a hoarder?

You may be able to identify a hoarder by observing their environment. For example, someone who has lots of pets in one home could be a hoarder. Usually responsible animal owners will have one or two pets, but someone who has an outrageous amount of animals could be displaying hoarding behaviors. Too many pets, as well as mountains of clutter and waste can cause horrible smells coming from home which can be detected even before entering the home.

Another possible sign of hoarding behaviors is a lack of visitors or friends. People who are compulsive hoarders can become isolated as they will not invite people inside their living space because of the embarrassing amount of clutter. Their windows may be covered to prevent people from seeing inside or simply due to piles of clutter that cover the windows. You may notice clutter even outside of the home. One a hoarders home is full, you may observe trash in the yard or on the side of the house. Anything from clothes, to furniture, to appliances could begin to pile up outside.

Compulsive hoarders may also have mold growing and infestations in and around their homes. They may have rodents. Kitchen counters may be full of bacteria from old food and dirty dishes. Foods in the refrigerator will be spoiled and one would be unlikely to find something edible inside.

Hoarding disorder can be effectively treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy. Contact the New England OCD Institute for help.

Learn more

Step Inside the Real World of Compulsive Hoarders at Scientific American.