9 Things That You Need To Know About Compulsive Hoarding
Many people may claim at one point in their lives that they may well be known as a €closet clutterer€ or a €pack rat€. But compulsive hoarding is more than that. This anxiety disorder involves more than collecting a pile of magazines and papers or collecting a closet of shoes. Compulsive hoarding can affect a person's daily activities like bathing, cleaning, sleeping, and cooking because of too much clutter found in every corner of the house.
Listed below are ten important things that you need to learn about hoarding disorder:
1. Approximately 700,000 to 1.4 million individuals in the United States have compulsive hoarding disorder
2. Compulsive hoarding is also regarded as a form of OCD or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder since 18% to 42% of these people afflicted also experience the strong urge to hoard. But, compulsive hoarding may also affect those who don't have OCD.
3. Hoarding may often start as early as childhood or during the teenage years but doesn't become serious until much later.
4. Most of the time, people who hoard are known to be perfectionists. They are afraid of making wrong decisions, particularly about what things to keep and which to discard, so that they end up keeping everything.
5. People who have a family history of hoarding may also have higher chances of becoming a hoarder. Hoarding can go with other mental illnesses like bipolar disorder, social anxiety, depression, and impulse control problems. Many people that have compulsive hoarding could identify other members of the family who also hoard.
6. Hoarding is more of a fear of throwing away something than collection or saving. Just the thought of throwing away an item triggers anxiety in hoarders. Thus, they hang on to the items to avoid angst.
7. Hoarders rarely know that they have a problem. Only after the hoarding becomes a big issue with the other members of the family is hoarding discussed. Sadly, this often creates friction among family members.
8. Compulsive hoarding can be very difficult to control especially if the person who has the disorder turns down any form of help.
9. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy may be effective for hoarders more than medications, especially when it involves the therapist going into the hoarder's home and helping him develop habits, as well as a consistent behavioral program, to de-clutter or cleanup the home, car, and life.
If you know of someone who hoards, know that it is important for him to seek help immediately to prevent the problem from ruining his life and the lives of the people around him.
Listed below are ten important things that you need to learn about hoarding disorder:
1. Approximately 700,000 to 1.4 million individuals in the United States have compulsive hoarding disorder
2. Compulsive hoarding is also regarded as a form of OCD or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder since 18% to 42% of these people afflicted also experience the strong urge to hoard. But, compulsive hoarding may also affect those who don't have OCD.
3. Hoarding may often start as early as childhood or during the teenage years but doesn't become serious until much later.
4. Most of the time, people who hoard are known to be perfectionists. They are afraid of making wrong decisions, particularly about what things to keep and which to discard, so that they end up keeping everything.
5. People who have a family history of hoarding may also have higher chances of becoming a hoarder. Hoarding can go with other mental illnesses like bipolar disorder, social anxiety, depression, and impulse control problems. Many people that have compulsive hoarding could identify other members of the family who also hoard.
6. Hoarding is more of a fear of throwing away something than collection or saving. Just the thought of throwing away an item triggers anxiety in hoarders. Thus, they hang on to the items to avoid angst.
7. Hoarders rarely know that they have a problem. Only after the hoarding becomes a big issue with the other members of the family is hoarding discussed. Sadly, this often creates friction among family members.
8. Compulsive hoarding can be very difficult to control especially if the person who has the disorder turns down any form of help.
9. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy may be effective for hoarders more than medications, especially when it involves the therapist going into the hoarder's home and helping him develop habits, as well as a consistent behavioral program, to de-clutter or cleanup the home, car, and life.
If you know of someone who hoards, know that it is important for him to seek help immediately to prevent the problem from ruining his life and the lives of the people around him.
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