Some people can’t bring themselves to throw things away. Despite the items being useless, they are kept because of the “what if.” This is a typical thought process of those suffering from hoarding disorder. Early treatment is crucial as hoarding can impact one’s life negatively.
What is hoarding disorder?
Hoarding disorder is characterized by a compulsive need to collect and store items. While there are various causes, cognitive decline is often the main culprit. This decline is similar to aging, where cognitive abilities gradually decrease. Hoarding disorder is more prevalent in the elderly than in younger generations.
One of the obsessive-compulsive disorders
As Hoarding disorder is one of the obsessive-compulsive disorders, it can be significantly improved with medication and behavioral therapy. It’s also known as compulsive hoarding syndrome, with some people leaving their homes filled with trash. Studies show that it’s relatively common, occurring in 2-5% of the population, and is about three times more common in older people.
Causes of Hoarding Disorder
Hoarding disorder happens when the frontal lobe fails to function properly in decision-making and planning. The brain can’t determine the necessity of items, leading the person to think they are needed. Furthermore, indecisiveness, avoidance, and procrastination often happen with such cognitive decline.
How should it be treated?
Decision-making cognitive training and response inhibition techniques are used with serotonin reuptake inhibitors to stabilize the nerves are used to treat hoarding behaviors. However, due to the ambiguous boundaries of the disorder, many patients fail to receive timely treatment even after recognizing their symptoms. Even after treatment, it’s often more challenging to achieve a complete recovery compared to other obsessive-compulsive disorders.
What if symptoms appear at a young age?
What if a disorder appears at a young age? It could be a symptom of adult ADHD. In a study analyzing ADHD patients with an average age in their 30s, about 20% showed severe symptoms of hoarding disorder. As ADHD patients are usually highly functional, regular observation is necessary. Conversely, there is a possibility of undiagnosed ADHD patients among hoarding disorder patients.
Do you know about digital hoarding disorder?
Do you find it hard to delete photos from your album, constantly needing more storage? If so, you might struggle with digital hoarding disorder. This disorder refers to the compulsive need to store digital data such as photos and files. Although it may seem unfamiliar, many people struggle with such behaviors.
Emotional factors as a cause
Emotional distress triggers digital hoarding disorder. People fear that by deleting documents, they lose their emotional value and that they will utilize it someday. Some people believe deleting photos erases the memories associated with them, making it harder. If you frequently experience anxiety and depression, you are at a higher risk of digital hoarding disorder.
It interferes with daily life
Digital hoarding can interfere with daily life, including work and school. Documents that are not relevant to daily life should be deleted. However, if this is not done, tasks can become disorganized and chaotic, leading to a lack of workplace efficiency.
You need to practice discarding
Simply not deleting due to laziness is not digital hoarding. If you don’t feel anxious about deleting, you probably do not have digital hoarding. If you suspect you suffer from digital hoarding, practicing deleting items you don’t feel helpful is crucial.
How to treat at home
To treat hoarding disorder fundamentally, you must shift your way of thinking. It is essential to recognize that your compulsive behavior is not a way to reduce anxiety. If you’re reluctant to go to a hospital, try overcoming it yourself. Whenever you have obsessive thoughts, write them down on a note. By reading your notes, you will realize how repetitive the thoughts were, leading you to avoid them.
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