You may have someone you know who likes to collect certain types of things in their house. It can be shoes, figurines, or some other tiny trinkets. These collectors will usually find joy with having these items around.
But if you know someone who likes to ‘collect’ things that are widely considered as junk or even trash, then that person could possibly be a hoarder. It has been found that 1 in 50 people in Singapore showed hoarding behaviour in a study in 2010.
Hoarding can be a debilitating habit as it will interfere with a person’s day-to-day activity and ultimately, their quality of life. This obsessive-compulsive anxiety disorder can exist in anyone.
Therefore, identifying if yourself or any of your friends or family may like to hoard can really be of help, especially if it’s on at earlier stage.
As such, there are a few signs we can look for in a person to see whether yourself or anyone you know could be a hoarder.
1.You collect things without any practical reason
The extremity of the condition had already been seen in Singapore, where it has instigated disturbance among the neighbours as seen from the 66 year-old hoarder two years ago.
As mentioned earlier, a person who takes pride in their collection of items cannot be considered as a hoarder. Collectors will usually keep their items on display in the house, and keep them in pristine condition.
A hoarder on the other hand, will usually feel embarrassed about their collecting habits. Some may stock up on random things for no apparent reason, other than feeling they may need it someday.
Collecting seemingly useless things around the house is a typical sign of a hoarder, and serious hoarders can affect their lives and the lives of the people living with them greatly.
Yet for some, it doesn’t escalate to a debilitating level. So it is good to know whether you or any of your friends or family has a slight, harmless hoarding habit — and how it could escalate to a debilitating state.
2.You don’t display the items, rather hiding them or putting them haphazardly around the house.
As hoarders tend to feel embarrassed about their habits, most of the time the junk they have collected are hidden in unused rooms in the house. A spare bedroom, the storeroom, and the rarely used bathroom even, can be places for these things to be collected.
This ‘collection’ will overtime takes over other spaces in the house, and will soon clutter walkways, living rooms, and bedrooms.
Again, a milder form of the habit can also be seen in some. Maybe a friend has an annoying quirk of keeping the boxes of all the electronics he ever bought. They may not be a full-blown hoarder, but they do have the tendencies.
It may be advantageous to keep an eye on yourself and see whether the habit would ever escalate and may hinder your daily activities in any way. Be more vigilant is key.
3.You have difficulty in getting rid of the items
On top of collecting seemingly useless items en masse and feeling embarrassed about it, the absolute refusal to get rid of the things is a clear sign of hoarding.
Hoarders will always get attached to the items they hoard. They may believe that their possession will be useful in the future, have a certain sentimental value, are irreplaceable, or simply like to have them around.
Attempts to get rid of the things may provoke anger and annoyance, which greatly affects the relationship between friends and family.
4. You have obsessive thoughts about possessions
Instances where this factor has been identified is commonly between spouses or roommates who live together.
If you feel that you or your partner/roommate is afraid of running out of useless items in the house and always thinking of needing them later, that is another sign of being a hoarder.
Additionally, a more extreme sign of a hoarder can be seen where there’s a fear of accidentally throwing out the wrong trash. The item is still trash, but for some reason he or she might be afraid of losing it.
The fear of losing their possession is why clutter exists.
5.You feel paranoid of other people touching your clutter
This usually correlates to hoarders being obsessive towards the junk collected. As you may feel scared of losing the items, you will feel much more scared when someone were to touch or replace your collection.
6.You have a hoarding-like childhood habit
An article which told a story of an American man with serious hoarding habits may suggest the habit may stem from childhood quirks.
This is by far the earliest signs of hoarding tendencies one can look for in a person. Whether a child loves to excessively collect certain type of toys, cards, or even rocks, it is possible for it to amplify when the child gets older.
7.You have pre-existing anxiety
Another factor of someone turning to hoarding is because of their social anxieties. It was found that some started collecting things because they were too scared to socialise, and view their hoarding as a hobby.
Some also started collecting weird and unusual trinkets as a way to easily initiate a conversation with friends who would come over.
8.You tend to shut people down
It has become ironic for people with anxiety who thought their hoarding habits was to make them more social. The mounts of useless things they collect affects them in such a way that they will feel ashamed to actually invite people over.
This leads to them closing their doors to any friends and family who might be coming to visit. In a way, the destructive habit fuels their anxiety further.
9.You have financial difficulties
Though by far not a fool-proof indicator of someone may be a hoarder, many of the reported hoarding cases found that the person are in deep debt.
This is because many of the people who hoard are likely compulsive buyers, though most of the time they things they buy are seemingly useless, or has minimal functionality.
Some of them are obsessed with finding the most unique and specific item that they could be spending a fortune to just have it.
10.Your state of health is depleting
Perhaps one of the most substantial hazard for hoarders to inflict onto themselves is the decreasing cleanliness of their homes. Given that most of the items hoarders collect will end up as clutter, the mess will attract hazardous pests such as cockroaches or mice.
Hence, if you do feel ill a lot lately, or if you have someone you know continually coming to work or school with decreasing state of health, there is a possibility.
Get some help!
Hoarding can be a serious habit one can develop, as it may affect our health and well-being. Moreover, a house full of unsanitary clutter can also affect the neighbours.
So if you think you have some of these indicators, or if you have a family member, friend, or a neighbour you find to have the same thing — perhaps try to be open to help. Alternately, you can be the supporting force to tackle the problem in someone else.
With proper intervention (and therapy sessions if needed), this debilitating habit can be managed. Plus, you could use a good lorry renting service to dispose of the clutter. But only once you or the person is ready to let it go.
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