Hoarding and Hoarders

Signs and Symptoms

There are a number of risk factors or common characteristics found in individuals exhibiting hoarding behavior. Hoarding often starts in early adolescence and worsens with age. It is more common in individuals who have a family member who also hoards. A stressful life event such as a death, divorce, natural disaster, or fire can trigger hoarding in a person already harboring the tendency. While hoarding often leads to social isolation, lonely or withdrawn people may hoard to find comfort and control in having their possessions surrounding them. Hoarders are frequently perfectionists, wanting to make exactly the right decision on what to do with their possessions. Hoarders have increasingly cluttered living spaces because they cannot bear to throw things away but cannot stop acquiring more. A fear of losing information or knowledge that may be needed in the future results in massive piles of newspapers, magazines, and even junk mail. The fear of throwing out something that may be useful later causes anxiety. Clothing, broken appliances, bits of string, foil, gift wrap, and almost any item has value and represents endless possibilities for reuse. The inability to organize and worry about making the wrong decision compound until the hoarder is incapable of making any decision at all.

Quality of Life

Hoarding eventually impacts the quality of life of both hoarders and their families. Unlike most homes where a varying amount of untidiness is normal, the excessive clutter in the homes of hoarders makes the use of rooms for their intended purposes an unattainable goal. Doors and hallways may be impassible. The kitchen may not be functional because the counters, stove, and table are covered with clutter. The bathtub may be filled with stuff, making bathing impossible. When there is no more room inside, the clutter often overflows to the garage, yard, and vehicles.

Hoarding at this level becomes dangerous. There is a greater risk of fire when so much debris is stacked in the home, and, in the event of a fire, it is more difficult for people to get out and for firefighters to get in. There is the danger of falling and getting hurt, especially for elderly hoarders. Large stacks of newspapers can topple over, trapping people underneath. Respiratory problems and other health risks are factors if the clutter includes rotting food, mold, or other organic debris. Health issues are exacerbated when animals are hoarded in addition to (or instead of) objects. The health and safety of the animals is compromised to the same extent as the owner's. Overcrowding among pets often leads to malnutrition, neglect, and disease.

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