Hoarding Facts and Fallacies That Will Surprise You

Did you know that half of all hoarders have a history of alcohol abuse? It’s true. Many of us feel a strong sense of disgust when we hear about hoarding and hoarders. “How could someone live this way?” Many times, these people are under incredible stress, have gone through a traumatic life event, or are or have been victims of abuse. Hoarding is also classified as a symptom of OCD and anxiety disorder. So, before you rush a judgment, here are a few things to consider.

What Really Drives Hoarding Behaviors

Hoarding is considered a disorder where the affected individual has difficulty discarding or parting with possessions because they believe they need them. In this sense, it’s an entirely psychological disordered powered by thoughts and perhaps subconscious ideas that drive the person to accumulate things, regardless of true need or want.

Often, the person will rationalize the behavior by stating that hoarded items may be needed or useful some day, that the hoarded items are somehow important, that a past mistake now drives current hoarding, that they don’t want to be wasteful so hoarding is necessary, or that a particular item reminds the person of someone they loved or lost.

Sometimes alcoholism and drug abuse are part of the hoarding mentality - the substances fuel the addiction to hoard. Other time, the person has a history of alcohol abuse and is using hoarding as a substitute addiction for the booze.

These people may or may not have attended AA, or other various methods aimed at curbing or stopping addiction without going through the classic “12 Steps” program. If a program has been successful for an individual, however, the addiction is erased. The symptom of hoarding indicates that the person still suffers from the same kind of addiction that led to the substance abuse and still needs help.

Hoarding: Fact vs. Fiction

Hoarders don’t hoard because they actually like the stuff they’re hoarding. That’s not the primary drive, even if they do like some of the things they keep. Many people believe that these people choose to make these hoarding decisions and that the hoarding is a simple thing to control or stop.

The reality is that hoarding is a complex psychological disorder. Sure, the person may have made choices that ultimately led to the hoarding behavior, but that behavior isn’t easy to change. It becomes its own addition where there are distinct brain abnormalities that won’t improve without treatment.

Believe it or not, some researchers believe that up to 85 percent of people with the disorder have a genetic predisposition to it. Finally, abnormal brain development, perhaps from early childhood abuse, malnutrition, or other external factors, may contribute to the development of hoarding.

Compulsive Hoarding Is Disabling For the Hoarder

Many hoarders don’t do it because they’re trying to annoy others. They do it because they’re sick. In fact, these people are often unhappy about their condition, have complete or partial cognitive impairment when it comes to their disorder, have social and family disabilities, have severe anxiety and depression symptoms, and have poor insight to the nature and severity of their problem.

Statistics

About 1.2 million people suffer from compulsive hoarding in the U.S.A. About 5 percent of the world population suffers from the disorder. Of that, 75 percent of hoarders are compulsive buyers and 50 percent of them acquire free items. What’s incredible is that 15 percent of hoarders know that their behavior is irrational. At the same time, all of them need counseling, and 70 percent who do pursue professional help respond positively to therapy and solve their problem.

Steve Tucker's psychological research centers around habitual behaviors. Through years of research and experience, he often writes about how one can take control of one's lifestyle through understanding and effective management strategies.