It is very evident that many individuals are very fond of saving treasurable and memorable things inside the house. In some cases, the severe degree of these human acts results in obsessive compulsion or the act of hoarding. People with this psychological disorder have the tendency to collect everything and anything which they will see and treat as important for them, thus leaving them a danger to other people as well as to themselves. This hoarding psychological disorder is often a result of abusing the intake of alcohol, prescribed drugs, illegal street drugs and nicotine.
Characteristics of Hoarding
There are two parts that characterize this hoarding activity. One is the intensive accumulation of things that have no value or have little only, even if these things belong to other people. The second thing is that upon having these invaluable things, the person with the said disorder will not anymore part from them. The hoarder himself always wants to be with his accumulated items. These things that are usually valued by such persons are clothes, notes, old newspapers, lists, other debris, cans, food cartons and even garbage. There are also some cases in which the person with the disorder is likely to collect animals, instead of the materials. These persons hoard different animals as many as they can.
The symptoms of hoarding are not that observable, but they develop as time goes by. Little by little, the things inside the place will get in bigger and bigger number until the time that what you only see is the passages made for him to have access to everything. It is also possible for such person not to have any plan of returning the items to their real owners.
Difficulties with Disorder
It will be difficult for the hoarders to give up all their possessions easily. An psychological expert is needed in this case for if you will try to clean up all those items and put them outside, the hoarder will bring them all back to the same places and with the same amount. Thus, such situations may pave way for unnecessary things to happen, putting you and him in danger and troubles.
This type of disorder is believed to be related and interconnected with the other disorders. Those disorders are social anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder. People who are experiencing dementia, anorexia nervosa, other psychotic disorders and schizophrenia are likely to gain the hoarding psychological disorder.
When the patients portray excessive act of hoarding, they are likely to have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and the Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). These compulsive hoarding mannerism can also be acquired by the younger ones from their parents. In short, it is inheritable.
Common Personality Traits
The personality traits that are usually related to hoarding are anxiety, perfectionism, avoidance, poor socialization skills and indecisiveness. Studies have shown that the levels of hoarding activities vary in different hoarders. The activity levels are those associated with decision-making, visual processing, attention, selection and self motivation. Thus, the researchers have concluded that the compulsive hoarding activity may vary in accordance to the obsessive compulsive disorder. So, if you observe suspicious activities from the people around you, consult the nearest psychologist for proper counseling and management of the situation.