Blogging from A-Z: H is for Hoarding Disorder

Hoarding is characterized as an anxiety/OCD disorder, but has just recently been included in DSM-V as a possible disorder on its own. I have to agree with this, because hoarding is more than just collecting, and it is more than just anxiety. For this reason, I am including it for the letter H.

I could almost include pictures of my room for this, but I’m not nearly as bad as someone in the family seems to think. Trash my collections? Fine, enjoy, I’ll just collect more later. Kidding! My room is cluttered to no end, but that does not mean I am a hoarder. Hoarding isn’t something to be taken lightly, either. Many people have already seen the reality shows where people are living in trash and filth truly believing that it isn’t a problem.

They do not see it as a problem. Hoarders think it is acceptable to live as they do, and can and often do alienate their friends and family over their hoarding. Throw away something they are collecting and you’ll likely find yourself being yelled at, or worse.

So what are the criteria for hoarding?

Hoarding Disorder:

Because of the distinctiveness of hoarding symptoms, the DSM-V diagnostic work group on OCD has recommended that hoarding be included in DSM-V. However, the committee is still examining the evidence to determine whether to include “hoarding disorder” in the main part of the manual or in an appendix for further research. The proposed diagnostic criteria are:

A. Persistent difficulty discarding or parting with personal possessions, even those of apparently useless or limited value, due to strong urges to save items, distress, and/or indecision associated with discarding.

B. The symptoms result in the accumulation of a large number of possessions that fill up and clutter the active living areas of the home, workplace, or other personal surroundings (e.g., office, vehicle, yard) and prevent normal use of the space. If all living areas are uncluttered, it is only because of others’ efforts (e.g., family members, authorities) to keep these areas free of possessions.

C. The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning (including maintaining a safe environment for self and others).

D. The hoarding symptoms are not due to a general medical condition (e.g., brain injury, cerebrovascular disease).

E. The hoarding symptoms are not restricted to the symptoms of another mental disorder (e.g., hoarding due to obsessions in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, lack of motivation in Major Depressive Disorder, delusions in Schizophrenia or another Psychotic Disorder, cognitive deficits in Dementia, restricted interests in Autistic Disorder, food storing in Prader-Willi Syndrome).

Specify if:

With Excessive Acquisition: If symptoms are accompanied by excessive collecting or buying or stealing of items that are not needed or for which there is no available space.

Specify whether hoarding beliefs and behaviors are currently characterized by:

Good or fair insight: Recognizes that hoarding-related beliefs and behaviors (pertaining to difficulty discarding items, clutter, or excessive acquisition) are problematic.

Poor insight: Mostly convinced that hoarding-related beliefs and behaviors (pertaining to difficulty discarding items, clutter, or excessive acquisition) are not problematic despite evidence to the contrary.

Delusional: Completely convinced that hoarding-related beliefs and behaviors (pertaining to difficulty discarding items, clutter, or excessive acquisition) are not problematic despite evidence to the contrary.

This is something new, so they are still working out the bugs. I’d say there is a small victory in hoarding being considered its own disorder finally.

From a writer’s standpoint, this should make things easier to write a character. You now have more of a clue to what is going inside that character’s head. Now, this should not take the place of research. There are different items that each person focuses on, things that aren’t better classified as other disorders.

There is also a slightly different mindset than someone with OCD or anxiety. There is a true belief that all the items collected will be needed, and a true fear that if said items were discarded, dire consequences may occur.

May I also add in that this is not something limited to one type of person. Anyone can fall into this regardless of income, religion, skin color, etc. Yeah, I’m fighting for diversity here.

Of course, I have to add my usual…

Disclaimer: I am not a therapist. I have not taken any classes, nor do I have a degree. I am writing this from my standpoint based on my personal experiences and research. I beg of you, if you think you may have hoarding disorder, please seek help from a licensed doctor.

No matter what, suicide is not an option. If you are thinking of harming yourself, seek help. Talk to a doctor, go to the ER, or even call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1 (800) 273-8255