OMG! Hoarding is a disease now?!!!!

[debidoo]

Oh my father-in-law was a hoarder also and the sad part is when he died my husband who already had a huge hoard added whatever no one else wanted he took.  He ruined our home which was getting piled to the ceiling.  Then I took care of my mom and had to deal with all that stuff.  We still pay for a storage unit for stuff my eldest son can't part with but I bought a new house and am decorating it but I am definitely not hoarding it.  It is truly a tragic issue.  I would not be offended to have someone call it a sickness or disease all I know I have lived with it enough to believe it is a tragedy.

[jenniferhoder]

Yes, it is a disease. It's a step by step process. You have to remind yourself you don't NEED 10 of something, etc. I am sure it is a battle for the rest of your life like any eating disorder or drug or alcohol addiction.

[makeblessed]

My elderly Mom is a hoarder and other then the regular problems that comes with aging; she is fine just refuses to get rid of things, says its her house and she is entitled to keep whatever she wants in it while she is on this earth; so I have stopped trying to get her to throw away or donate things; I simply look at her house as organize clutter :)as long as she is safe in it and can get around I just leave it along!!!

[gaby_ro_2004]

Hoarding is a disease, not a new one, unfortunately.

[kathleenkleinhans]

I believe to a degree we all hold on to items we no longer use or need.  A Positive attitude toward the good changes you will be making is key.  Donating things is a great way to make yourself and others feel better.  Gift good things to people for no special reason, get creative,  if you are serious about cleaning out you can do it!

[UGetPaid]

It is not a disease. Neither is being on drugs. I get so sick of hearing all this stuff that people call a disease. That is a slap in the face to people who actually do have a real disease.

Keep stuff or don't.  The only way to get past it is to decide you are tired of the clutter and just throw stuff away.  I done that a few years ago but let a family member put a bunch of stuff here so I am now cluttered again. LOL
It is what it is.

It is a disease, just not a physical disease like diabetes or cancer. It is a mental disease and not a choice often brought on by some sort of traumatic experience.


Clutter keeping and hoarding are not the same thing.

[DEBMZ6]

Wow,didn't realize that compulsive hoarding affects up to 6 percent of the population.  Studies show that cognitive behavioral therapy is a treatment for hoarding and that medications may be added, particularly if the person is also showing signs of anxiety or depression.

[dsosnowski06]

Never thought about it as a disease but it does make sense.  Always watching my husband as he loves to save things.  I could not tell you where anything is at in the garage but he knows exactly where things are

[paints]

Yes, I'm a hoarder, you know when you're a hoarder when you watch hoarder shows, to make you feel better that you're not as bad as the hoarders featured on screen.

Now, I heard in the news that people who hoard, have some kind of mental disorder.

Anyway, does anyone out there know how to be cured of this this disease? Please let know, I don't want to be found in my death bed among my junk around & with probably my poor starving cats eating my decomposing dead flesh!

I'm a hoarder.  I keep things most people would throw out.  The reasoning, for me, is that I do a lot of arts and crafts, and I use the things I keep to make something else. 

The last time I went through and tossed things, I made a deal with myself.  If I bring in something new, I have to toss out 2 things.  And if I haven't used whatever it is that I've kept within 6 months, I have to throw it out. 

This has kept the clutter manageable.  But I still have to grab a trash bag every so often and just fill it up and toss it. 

I don't worry about the cats eating my decomposing body.  I don't have cats 

[ejholt]

I am not a hoarder but I do stock up on food as I live on SS and don't draw much to live on. 

[JaniceSW]

Yes, I'm a hoarder, you know when you're a hoarder when you watch hoarder shows, to make you feel better that you're not as bad as the hoarders featured on screen.

Now, I heard in the news that people who hoard, have some kind of mental disorder.

Anyway, does anyone out there know how to be cured of this this disease? Please let know, I don't want to be found in my death bed among my junk around & with probably my poor starving cats eating my decomposing dead flesh!

It IS a disease because there is usually an underlying problem when people are true hoarders.  They have often suffered from loss or trauma in the past and got "stuck" dealing with the issue.  Depression and/or anxiety is often part of it.  Hoarders often turn to "things" as their "drug of choice." They become obsessive about their "stuff." It becomes an OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder).
Depending on many things, like how badly you have it, how long it has been going on, what past traumas you may have had, what your attitude is toward getting rid of things, you might have to have professional help.  Are you able to set a goal of going through a number of items each day and deciding whether to keep, throw out, or give away/recycle?  Do you carry through on the goal? Do you decide to keep almost all the stuff?  Do you put things in the throw away or recycle pile and then end up keeping them anyway? Do you almost never have people in your home because you are ashamed of what they might think? You have to be very honest with yourself when you answer these questions.

[sbenkoski]

They call it a disease so they can charge more money for treating it.  I call it lazy and being a slob and not cleaning.   Sorry but that's the truth.

[mrsmere]

Everyone saves some things but I get rid of a lot by giving to shelters and realize it's helping others in need.

[mrisha]

just another way for lazy people to get a paycheck

What has hoarding to do with getting a paycheck?  Ignorant statement. I am not a hoarder, but I do buy nice clothes and sometimes I do not get rid of clothes that I haven't worn in years.  A work in progress for me.

[bigfoot951]

With all due respect, the first problem is believing hoarding is a disease.  With it being labeled that, people are told that it's not their fault and that they can't help it.  It is sad to me that people are labeling stuff like this a disease.