Ever wondered if that pile of junk you’re hoarding is indicative of a bigger problem?

Having an ever-growing in-box, an eclectic collection of decades old shoes or drawers full of pens that don’t work is one thing. But if you’ve got whole rooms literally stuffed full of possessions, you may have a problem with cluttering or hoarding.

Declutter Your Life

DSM-IV associates hoarding with Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder and defines it as an inability to discard worthless or worn-out things, though they have no sentimental value. But in the textbook Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, Practical Management (Third Edition 1998 – Harvard University Press), Dr. Randy Frost suggests that hoarders do develop a strong attachment to their possessions and also actively acquire them.

“For example,” writes Dr. Frost, “one of our study participants bought and kept more than 30 bottles of shampoo; if her hoard fell below that number, she felt compelled to buy more. Another participant had rooms full of ‘gifts’ that she had purchased over several decades. She did not know to whom she would give them, but they were ‘good buys’ that she couldn’t pass up.”

Dr. Frost’s research suggests hoarding is more closely related to OCD – and it’s difficult to treat.

Case studies suggest hoarders respond to cognitive behavioural therapy when the notion of discarding items is gradually introduced and issues like perfectionism, need for control and fear of decision making are examined.