What is a hoarder?
The dictionary gives me the following:
Hoarder (noun) a person who hoards things
synonyms: collector, saver, gatherer, accumulator, and a few more
Now, confession time – I’m a bit of a hoarder! I always keep stuff for just in case. And a year or four later, just in case never happened!! No surprise to that one … it happened often in the past 40+ years. I have been a hoarder since childhood. When Mom would throw something out, I would sneak it back into my room and find a better place to hide it!
Every time my son and I would go past a craft supply or wool store, he literally pulls me away saying, you have enough of whatever is in that store! I have to admit that I have become a master at buying stuff, hiding in my car boot and sneaking it into the house later when I’m alone or everyone is asleep. Another definition I read said that a hoarder is someone who collects things in their home obsessively. Oh my word – here it starts to sound like a disorder!
Let me investigate a little bit more on the internet and see what pops up…
On the Mayo Clinic website they say that hoarding disorder is a persistent difficulty to get rid of or part with possessions because of a perceived need to save them. A person with hoarding disorder experiences distress at the thought of getting rid of the items.
Let’s look at some other question people ask on GOOGLE with regards to hoarding …
What causes a person to be a hoarder?
According to Birchall people with compulsive hoarding behavior might also have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety disorders, personality disorders, depression, addictions, PTSD, etc.
Oops! That didn’t answer the question on what causes hoarding. Let’s check out the next question …
What is a hoarder personality?
Hoarding as a disorder can be present on its own or as a symptom of another disorder. Hoarding are most often associated with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), ADHD and even depression. For interest sake, they say that hoarding is an offshoot from OCD, but it is estimated that one in four people with OCD are also compulsive hoarders.
Another question not really answered. I can understand why doctors say it is dangerous to google your illness symptoms – you will most probably NOT get the right answer.
Is hoarding a mental illness? Let’s skip this question as this is getting really serious … telling me that having a hoarding disorder, brings me closer to some mental illness? This is where this investigation stops, because basically it will lead to another question: who said normal are really normal and not the other way around?
After all the research (all NOT shared here) I have decided I will rather focus on the meaning as per the dictionary: a person who is a collector, saver, accumulator of things. That perfectly describes me. 😊
In the meantime, each week I start to clear out some cupboard to get rid of so-called baggage and live lighter, but in effect I am just making more room for more supplies, wool, whatever I am hoarding at the time. 😊