How to Recognize Signs of Hoarding

Webster's Dictionary defines hoarding as a supply or fund stored up and often hidden away. Sounds thrifty doesn't it?

But some people go way beyond being thrifty, with a compulsion to store and hide away items that eventually take over their lives. This is known as OCHD (Obsessive Compulsive Hoarding Disorder).

People hoard various and sometimes bizarre things including, but not limited to, newspapers, magazines and catalogs, empty boxes, cracked dishes, garbage, human waste, and sometimes cats and dogs.

The Mayo Clinic says "People who hoard often don't see it as a problem, making treatment challenging." If you suspect someone in your family is a hoarder, here
are some signs of the compulsion you should be aware of.

Things You'll Need

• Keep your eyes open for large stacks of papers, magazines, cluttered living spaces, etc.
• Check for quantities of shopping bags that have never been emptied of their contents
• Watch for trashbags filled to overflowing, but never taken to the curb for pickup
• Check for odor and note if there are large numbers of pets kept in the house in unsanitary conditions

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Instructions

• 1

  Keep your eyes open for any large stacks of newspapers or magazines that have accumulated over long periods of time or stacks of mail and junk mail that grow each day. Nothing is ever thrown out, but just stacked and stacked and restacked. If you have difficulty getting through the stacks of papers and magazines, this person is probably a hoarder. On the other hand, if you are never allowed in the house, the same situation could exist. The person who hoards is embarrassed, but feels helpless to do anything about it.

• 2

  Compulsive shoppers can sometimes be hoarders. Check for shopping bags full of brand new items that have never been used. Because they never get rid of the old stuff, there's nowhere to put the new stuff. So it's just moved from one place to another.

• 3

  Watch for the person's inability to discard useless items, even trash. Check for numerous garbage bags filled to overflowing, but never taken to the curb for disposal. Sometimes the person who is a hoarder feels safer surrounded by things they collect, even those things we find disgusting.

• 4

  People who hoard animals may collect dozens or hundreds of pets. They usually hoard pets that are easily kept inside and concealed more easily. Because there are so many, they usually are not properly cared for, and may even die because of lack of water or food. Hoarders of animals have been known to live among large amounts of pet feces and dead animals. If you notice strong odors in and around a friend or relative's home, and they won't allow you inside, or seem to have lots of animals, they could be a pet hoarder.