Are you a hoarder?

Or, more precisely, am I a hoarder? Don’t rush with the answer – it’s not that straight forward.

The photo above is a corner of my very own shack. Judging by what is on display you could be right to say that I do have an issue with preserving and keeping ‘stuff’. Or, that I am still in an early ‘denial phase’ unwilling or unable to admit that I do in fact have a problem.

Before pointing the finger: how’s your shack looking? Right, I thought so.

Yes, for amateurs, parting with anything that could be recycled, reused, repaired or resold is simply impossible.

However there is a major difference between being medically recognized as a hoarder or simply being overly conscious of letting things go.

Hoarding disorder is when someone persistently has difficulty letting go of or throwing things out regardless of their value. An amplifier awaiting a capacitor is not a piece of worthless junk. A bunch of dead cordless drills have no value, but they need to be disposed responsibly. Radio magazines are stacked neatly. And yes, that blue box contains junk – to be taken out to the rubbish bin. There is an explanation for every item on the photo, which is really scary.

Professionals say that the best way to self-assess our level of ‘hoarderness’ is to look at the big picture rather than a single symptom.

Here are a few give-ways, my compilation:

1. It is OK to have one untidy room in a house. However, the rest of the house should look reasonably clean and orderly.

2. Garages don’t count.

3. More than one broken car in the backyard?

4. A messy hobby workbench is perfectly fine. Kitchen sink loaded with broken CDs from the 80s is not!

5. Any rotten food, anywhere in house is not OK.

6. Broken glass everywhere is worrying.

7. Bringing home used nappies and dead animals – immediate action needed!

8. Roaming through rubbish bins, picking and storing other people’s rubbish is definitely not OK.

Although there is no single evidence-based treatment for Hoarding Disorder, there are several therapies that have shown to be impactful.

“Motivational Interviewing can aid a person in getting started with the process of decluttering, which often feels extremely overwhelming, as well as staying engaged in treatment.

The crux of treatment is a cognitive behavioural therapy protocol specifically designed for Hoarding Disorder. This includes understanding the root causes of a person’s difficulties with parting with items, learning how to reduce acquiring, developing decision-making skills regarding saving and discarding, and changing beliefs about possessions.”

Self assess, take action, ask for help if needed.