If you are wondering are you a compulsive hoarder, or know some one who could be, then this article may help you understand the condition better. Compulsive hoarding is a recognized mental health condition, where a person has persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions.
Hoarding can affect people regardless of their wealth and social status. There are not one, but three possible reasons why you may be cluttering your home. You may need to reconsider your lifestyle, if hoarding is congesting your living space to the extent it disrupts the way you use the rooms.
Why We Over-Accumulate Possessions
Things are not always clear cut in practice. There are several reasons why you may want to know if you a compulsive hoarder:
- You may have Hoarding Disorder and persistent difficulty discarding possessions.
- You may have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which is a response to deep anxiety.
- However, you may just be an untidy person who could clean up if you really wanted to!
Shall we drill down into these three options in more detail, so you come closer to answering the question?
Reasons You May Have Hoarding Disorder
Your answer to, are you a compulsive hoarder, may be yes if you have persistent difficulty getting rid of things regardless of their value. This may be because you are fond of the items, or regard them as potentially useful someday.
Your living spaces may be becoming so cluttered that you cannot use them for their original purpose. Yet, despite that, you become anxious at the thought of discarding your clutter, and feel good about accumulating even more.
Perhaps You Have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
You may have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, if you have intrusive, distressing thoughts and repetitive behaviors that calm your anxiety. If you chime with this description, then you are unlikely to have Compulsive Hoarding.
By way of an example, people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder fear something bad could happen if they discard their clutter. Whereas people with Hoarding Disorder keep their clutter because it might be useful someday.
Are You a Compulsive Hoarder or Just Untidy
As you mull over, are you a compulsive hoarder or obsessively compulsive, you should also consider whether you are perhaps just an untidy, messy person. After all, we all go through phases when we are distracted, and don’t have time to tidy our home properly.
Becoming a messy person and accumulating clutter, means we don’t get around to tidying up after ourselves. However this does not mean we have deep emotional attachments to our clutter. We can still use all our rooms.
Perhaps You Are Just a Disorganized Collector?
Serious collectors find pleasure in their collections, although they don’t feel anxious about discarding things generally. They are purposeful and selective about the items they add to their specialized sets.
These sets could be themes like stamps, books, model cars, paintings, jewellery, etc. The list of the things collectors display and organize with pride is far too long, to tell you about it here.
So Are You a Compulsive Hoarder or Not?
We’ve taken you through the possible reasons, why your home is so cluttered you are losing control. We’ve shared possibilities including Compulsive Hoarding, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, being an untidy person, and whether you are a serious collector.
To recap, you may have Hoarding Disorder is you feel you are showing any of the signs below. Although we strongly recommend you consult a medical practitioner first, before you let any of the following worry you:
- You have ongoing difficulty discarding items, including those that most people would consider trash.
- You have a strong emotional attachment to the items, on account of past memories, or future uses.
- Living spaces in your home are becoming so cluttered you cannot use them for their original purpose.
- You become distressed at the thought of losing precious items that have become part of you.
- Your clutter is affecting your daily life, safety, and relationships with people you know or love.
Could Avery Associates Help You Perhaps?
Avery Associates are a team of highly respected, experienced valuers in their fields. We assist executors of deceased estates assess land and buildings, and also personal possessions that are collectible items
We also assist with clearing homes of deceased persons, compulsive hoarders, and those with obsessive-compulsive disorder. If we find items of value in the clutter, then we inform our client immediately.
The third service that we provide, helps serious collectors value their collections for insurance purposes, and perhaps if they want to downsize them to a more manageable level.
Avery Associates offers a thoroughly professional service where we maintain the highest standards. Please call us on 0800 567 7769 during business hours, or contact us by following this link. We look forward to being of service to you.
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