Talking Stick - January 2012 - 22

speCial FoCus

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10 conversational clues that may indicate a person with hoarding behavior:
They have unshakeable clutter blindness – they don’t see the problem. They attach an intense emotional meaning to their possessions. They consider hoarded items as part of their identity. They have a strong need to keep items “just in case.” They focus on the usefulness of items.

like Oprah Winfrey’s talk show or “Hoarders” on the A&E channel, this disorder has come to the public’s attention and has even encouraged its fascination. Just like other compulsions such as gambling, eating disorders, and the like, hoarding has made its way to campus and can be seen as a reflection of issues in the larger society.

wHat is HoarDing?
Compulsive hoarding can be defined as “Acquiring and saving items that have little or no value and then having tremendous difficulty discarding them” (Overcoming Compulsive Hoarding: Why You Save and How You Can Stop [2004] by Fugen Neziroglu, Jerome Bubrick, and Jose Yaryura-Tobias). Compulsive hoarding behavior is commonly referred to simply as hoarding. According to these authors, “To be considered a hoarder [one] needs to have either a compulsion to save or difficulty discarding items [one] already possesses.” Hoarding is different from collecting. As they explain, collectors “Feel proud of their possessions; keep their possessions organized and well maintained; find joy in their possessions and willingly display them to others; . . . enjoy conversations about their possessions; and budget their time and money around their possessions.” In contrast, hoarders “Feel embarrassed by their possessions; have their possessions scattered randomly, often without any functional organization; have clutter, often resulting in the loss of functional living space; feel uncomfortable with others seeing their possessions, or outright refuse to let others view their possessions; often have debt, sometimes extreme; and feel ashamed, sad, or depressed after acquiring additional items.” It’s the behavior associated with possessions, rather than the

possessions themselves, that helps to define hoarding: “Hoarding is not defined by the number of possessions, but by how the acquisition and management of these possessions affect their owner” (Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things [2010] by Randy O. Frost and Gail Steketee). In addition, hoarders acquire a myriad of unconnected items such as newspapers, magazines, plastic bags, photographs, food or groceries, books, pens, or cardboard boxes – including large amounts of both items that are free (e.g., brochures, handouts, newspapers) or have been purchased (e.g., clothing, shoes, jewelry). Neziroglu, Bubrick, and Yaryura-Tobias note that, in materialistic societies where acquiring and possessing items is highly promoted and valued, “Hoarders tend to confuse society’s message of ‘Out with the old, in with the new’ and get stuck on a need to possess.” As with many mental health issues, an individual’s behavior lies somewhere on a continuum. Almost anyone will admit to having trouble getting organized or wishing they had more time to sort through their belongings. People who are disorganized often seek the services of professional organizers or a variety of self-help books. Treatments for hoarding, however, can be much more challenging, because the behavior is often associated with emotional problems and psychiatric conditions. Hoarders experience “information processing deficits, beliefs about and emotional attachments to possessions, and emotional distress and avoidance behavior that develop as a result” (“Age of Onset of Compulsive Hoarding,” The Journal of Anxiety Disorders [2006] by Jessica R. Grisham, Randy O. Frost, Gail Steketee, Hyo-Jin Kim, and Sarah

They give a 20-minute answer to a 20-second question. They blame perfectionism and don’t want to discard the wrong thing; they must have complete sets. They feel guilty about wasting items. They don’t want others in their room.

They are “Unusually sensitive to even small amounts of anxiety” (p. 155).

(List adapted from Frost and Steketee, 2010)
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Talking Stick - January 2012

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