Posted on 02/28/2022 8:16:51 AM PST by Red Badger
Many of us may find we have acquired too many possessions that clutter our living spaces, but refuse to part with things "in case we might need them".
Although having too much stuff is something many of us can relate to, for some people, a persistent difficulty parting with possessions can become a problem: hoarding. When these tendencies significantly impair somebody's quality of life, this leads to a condition called hoarding disorder.
Curiously, understanding how hoarding manifests and how it relates to other difficulties in everyday life has not received much attention until recently. Only in 2013 was hoarding disorder officially recognized in the DSM-5 (the American Psychiatric Association's manual for assessing and diagnosing mental health conditions), and its key characteristics agreed upon.
In a recent study, we found people with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a significantly higher frequency of hoarding symptoms compared to the general population. This indicates that hoarding should be routinely assessed in those with ADHD.
Hoarding disorder is characterized by persistent difficulties discarding items, regardless of their actual value. This results in excessive accumulation of possessions that clutter living areas and compromise their intended use. Hoarding disorder leads to major distress and problems in socializing, work and other areas of daily functioning.
Anecdotally we know participants in hoarding research often report problems with attention, with many believing that they should have received a diagnosis of ADHD. Indeed, evidence does indicate that people with hoarding disorder experience greater problems with attention compared to others.
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition, with one of its key characteristics being problems with attention. "Inattention" encompasses issues with concentrating, but also considerable difficulties with organization, forgetfulness, procrastination and being easily distracted to a degree that impairs everyday functioning.
If there is a link between hoarding and inattention, then what about people with ADHD? Do they have more hoarding problems than most?
Our study We asked all patients in an adult ADHD clinic in the UK to complete a series of questionnaires about their traits and behaviors including hoarding. We had 88 people, one-third of the patients, take part. A control group with similar age, gender and education characteristics who did not have ADHD answered the same questions.
Using three different questionnaires, we applied thresholds previously established by hoarding researchers and clinicians to indicate hoarding disorder. Some 20 percent of participants with ADHD reported clinically significant hoarding symptoms, versus 2 percent in the comparison group (close to the 2.5 percent prevalence of hoarding disorder in the population).
Hoarding was roughly as common across both genders, with patients who exhibited hoarding symptoms aged on average in their 30s. Clinically significant hoarding in ADHD patients was associated with poorer quality of life and higher depression and anxiety.
People with ADHD who scored below the threshold for hoarding disorder still reported considerably greater issues with hoarding compared to the control group. Further, those with more severe attention problems were more likely to report problems with hoarding.
Even if not suffering from either ADHD or hoarding disorder, many people will relate to the difficulties characteristic of these conditions, demonstrating that symptoms exist along a continuum in the population.
We therefore reran the study online in 220 UK participants, finding this time that 3.6 percent scored above the threshold, and that there was again a strong link between inattention and hoarding.
The findings from our study, which we understand is the first to examine hoarding in adult ADHD patients, suggest that people with ADHD should be routinely assessed for hoarding symptoms – particularly given the limited awareness around any impairments associated with hoarding.
While patients did not spontaneously raise hoarding-related issues in the clinic, they did endorse them once explicitly raised in our study.
Research gaps A limitation of our study is that hoarding symptoms were investigated with self-reported questionnaires. Future studies should replicate the findings with trained clinical staff assessing hoarding through interviews. Future research should also investigate why this association between ADHD and hoarding disorder exists.
More generally, one challenge to understanding hoarding and providing effective treatment is that many of those who suffer from hoarding disorder have limited insight. This means they don't necessarily recognize or accept that they are suffering from a mental health condition, or that they have a problem at all.
Research on hoarding disorder has tended to focus on people who do come forward or those noticed by health and social care systems. Time and again studies describe samples of predominantly female participants in their late 50s.
But these participants tell of severe hoarding beginning much earlier in life, often by one's 20s. In addition, indirect evidence from demographic studies suggests that hoarding is evenly split across genders.
The evidence from our study indicates that our understanding of hoarding may be enriched by targeting these younger people with ADHD and hoarding to get a fuller understanding of their symptoms. This could ultimately support more effective interventions and treatments in both ADHD and hoarding disorder, and help illuminate the link between the two.
Sharon Morein, Associate Professor in Psychology and Mental Health, Anglia Ruskin University.
Crusaders
It's not worthless, it's...it's...wait what were you talking about.? Man, I need to get another pallet of Oyster Crackers.
Or Saracens?.............
Makes sense to me. A big part of ADHD is object impermanence. That things you’re not interacting with are just not in your brain anymore. Since a lot of hoarding is getting multitudes of the same thing, way more than you could need object impermanence could play a roll in that. You might already have 10 can openers but your brain has erased them all, so you buy another.
Had a friend that had multiple hacksaws.
Asked why, he said I’m too lazy to look for the last one [his tool shed was crammed] so I just buy another whenever I need one.............
We’re Jews. It was more likely crusaders.
You’re right.
The Saracens would have just killed you.
Of course, 500 years later it was the Spanish Inquisition...................
The crusaders would have killed me. They killed every Jew they encountered on the way to OUR holy land.
Why do we have to label ourselves?
Do what you want as long as you don't hurt anyone.
Be yourself. You are unique. Tell someone you love them every day. Be happy...even if you have to pretend sometimes.
And smile...There's nothing like a smile.
As someone with ADD, this is total bullshit.
If someone with ADD has some co-morbidities, it might make some sense.
People with ADD have an ability to focus if they are interested in something, and I mean REALLY focus.
Don’t look at me.
In fact, you can’t, because I am sitting amid my cartons of fabric.
Being highly focused on a few particular areas, while other critical areas slip past, is a sympton of ADD or ADHD. (Women tend not to display the "H" part as much as boys.)
Coffee was rationed. I still make hobo coffee. You use the grounds twice.
Hope she was creative with it!
I've not tried that; but I save the used grounds in a container and sprinkle them on the azaleas to keep the deer away. Also adjusts the soil ph the way azaleas like it.
LOL!
I’ve never been a hoarder, but I still have too much stuff. Monthly trips to St. Vincent’s (charity) are clearing clutter.
My clothes closet is as neat, orderly and streamlined as it has ever been, so I’ve got that going for me.
Cleared out fabric and yarn over the past two months. It felt good, but I totally understand how it can get out of control.
My rule? Something new comes IN, something old has to go OUT!
Proud to say that I’ve FINALLY convinced Beau that he’s leaving me onehellofamess if he dies before I do. He’s been making a REAL effort to clean out the garage, basement and the upper part of the barn. Yay!
Sounds good! I’ll put your “one in, one out” solution on my to-do list. LOL!! I have to-do lists from 1998 with only one or two items completed!!
Her mother in law now does the same. LOL
I even bought her 12 pairs of socks. I'll bet she kept the old ones.
For myself....If I haven't worn it in two years...it gets donated to the church.
Another way to tighten the noose around those who are independent and self-determined.
I keep quiet and pretend I only get what I need.
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