Presence of Anxiety and Other Mental Health Conditions
People are begin hoarding items because they believe that the item has sentimental value or will have a purpose in the future. They may also feel that something was too big a bargain to discard or that the item is irreplaceable and unique—but only they will feel this way about the item.
Sometimes, hoarders collect items that bring them back to a time in life they enjoyed, because they believe they will be unable to remember a person, place, or moment without that item. Should the items be disrupted in some way, the person often experiences crippling anxiety.
Because of these thoughts and feelings affixed to items, it is believed that hoarding can be a disorder in and of itself or that it may be a symptom of other mental health conditions, such as:
• Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD)
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Depression
Other disorders less commonly associated with hoarding include eating disorders, pica (consuming inedible materials), Prader-Willi syndrome, dementia, and psychosis.
