Susan's home is so cluttered with junk that it is almost impossible to move in it.
When asked what she will do in case a fire breaks out in her home, she said the first thing she will do is to save her possessions.
She would rather die with them than escape from the fire.
Why are there people who think that way? What is considered hoarding? Here are some of the answers to these questions.
A person with hoarding tendencies think that the things he owns is a part of himself.
That is normal, you would say, don't we all think that way? With persons who hoard, however, they use their possessions to define who they are, until it takes over their lives.
When the time comes to get rid of possessions that are no longer needed, such a person will get severely anxious or upset.
So what does he do? He keeps the things until they take over all available space in his home and he cannot move around anymore just to avoid the distress associated with losing his possessions.
Why does a person hoard? He wants to be able to see his possessions.
This is where clutter starts in this person's home.
He puts his things in places where he can see them.
This characteristic of hoarding is one aspect that a therapist will focus on during treatment.
The therapist will help the person who hoards to trust himself by teaching him to organize his things into categories and storing them away in an orderly manner.
The therapist also helps the person develop that innate trust that the objects he cannot see in front of him are still there where he kept them.
He is extremely attached to his possessions.
To have them moved or touched without permission or discarded is upsetting to the person who hoards.
He is afraid of not having enough at a time he needs it.
The person with hoarding tendencies wants to be prepared for all eventualities.
So he acquires things thinking that by doing this he will never run out of anything when the time comes for it.
He thinks that an object is more valuable than its true worth.
Because of this he believes that he needs to acquire that object even when he doesn't need it, or even when he already has many similar items like it.
He believes it is better to save the item than to discard it.
He thinks that the object may be useful someday, or comes up with some reason justifying the need to keep the object.
He draws comfort from being with his possessions.
When faced with stress from the outside world, the person who hoards retreats to the comfort and safety of his possessions at home.
The person who hoards needs help.
If you know someone who has hoarding tendencies, you can help him by referring them to a specialist trained in dealing with hoarding disorders.