Understanding Hoarding disorder: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

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Hoarding disorder

by Alike Medical Team ∙ Updated on June 13, 2023

General

Hoarding disorder describes the persistent difficulty of getting rid of or parting with possessions due to a perceived need to save them. Attempts to part with possessions create distress and lead to decisions to save them. The resulting clutter disrupts the ability to use living spaces. Hoarding often creates such living conditions that homes may be filled to capacity. Hoarding disorder ranges from mild to severe. In some cases, it may not have much impact on your life. In other cases, it may affect your functioning on a daily basis.

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Signs & symptoms

The most common hoarding disorder symptoms include: - Excessively acquiring items that are not needed - Persistent difficulty throwing out or parting with your things. Feeling a need to save these items. - Being upset by the thought of discarding your items

Diagnosis

To diagnose hoarding disorder, a mental health professional will perform a psychological evaluation. He or she may ask you regarding a habit of acquiring and saving items, leading to a discussion of hoarding. For the diagnosis of hoarding disorder, your mental health professional may use the diagnosis criteria of hoarding disorder.

Treatment

Treatment for hoarding disorder can be challenging because most of the people don't see it as a disease that needs to get fixed. Some of the treatments of hoarding syndrome include: - Cognitive Behavioral Treatment (CBT) - learn to resist the urge to acquire more items and how to deal with the frustration of parting from objects. - Medications - there are currently no medications approved for the treatment of hoarding disorder. However, some of the people who suffer from hoarding disorder also suffer from anxiety and depression, and can be treated for these disorders.

Note

☝ We provide information on prescription and over-the-counter medicines, diagnosis, procedures and lab tests. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

National Institutes of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ MedlinePluse ∙ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

☝ All information has been reviewed by certified physicians from Alike

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