What Is the Diagnosis for a Severe Pack Rat?

An individual who is a severe "pack rat" can usually be classified as a hoarder. Hoarding is the practice of obsessively collecting and storing items that are often considered junk by outside observers. Many experts believe that hoarding is a mental illness that occurs when the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that processes information and organization, is damaged.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of hoarding are somewhat easy to recognize: The home is excessively cluttered to the point where surfaces are no longer visible; there are stacks of old newspapers or rotting food in the kitchen; nothing is ever removed from the home; or the individual has difficultly managing daily activities or has limited social interaction because of his hoarding.

Risk Factors

• Causes of hoarding are unclear, although it does seem to run in families so there could be a link between genetics or upbringing. Hoarding can affect anyone regardless of his age, race or economic status. It tends to affect those who are somewhat socially isolated or have a history of alcohol abuse. Some people begin to hoard after a particularly stressful life event such as a death, divorce, job loss or serious illness.

Complications

• The complications from hoarding can be serious. The unsanitary conditions can lead to health problems, the actual clutter can lead to falling or injury and the house can easily be a fire hazard. Friends and family are often reluctant to visit hoarders because of the messy conditions of the home; therefore, this lack of social interaction can lead to depression and anxiety. Some hoarders are also unable to keep up their work performance because of the issues caused by their living situation and may suffer financially because of a job loss.

Mental Health Connections

• Most mental health professionals agree that hoarders tend to also suffer from psychological disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or depression. To diagnose hoarding, mental health providers look for signs such as an overwhelming collection of possessions, severe clutter that impairs the use of the home (for example, the bathtub is full of objects and cannot be used for bathing) and any difficulty or distress that is caused by the hoarding.

Treatment

• It can be difficult to treat hoarders because many of them do not want to admit they have a problem or change their lifestyle. For those who are open to treatment after being diagnosed as a hoarder, psychotherapy can be used to discover why the patient hoards and how to change the behavior. Medications can be helpful to treat other conditions associated with hoarding such as depression or anxiety.