Mental Health Hoarding
Sources: Hoarding Disorder - Psychology Today, Hoarding Disorder - Mayo Clinic
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Items hoarded have little to no value unlike items gained by collectors. Also, unlike collectors or libraries, since items have no value to others, they are unlikely to be shared and hoarders are likely to be disorganized and clutter.
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Behaviour can risk negative health issues, interference with life (mental, emotional growth, relationships), and self-esteem and depression.
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Causes may be due to risk factors like:
- Trauma
- Previous (family) history
- Related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Anxiety and coping
Treatment
Section titled “Treatment”Benefits of treatment:
- Improve decision making, stress reduction and organizational skills
Treatment:
- Psychotherapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Medication
Treatment Ideas
- Learn to organize and categorize possessions to help you decide what
to discard:
- Remove all hoarded materials of no/little value
- Declutter
- Decrease hoarding/consumption practices slowly
- Increase social involvement in meaningful activities:
- Replace hoarding with productive activities
- Remove hoard to a more difficult to access location
- Challenge thoughts and beliefs about acquiring and keeping items:
- “Remember new items will be like old ones and there is no practical value is additional items”
- Resist getting more items