HOARDING: HELP AND INFORMATION FROM MIND

Hoarding is having so many things that you cannot manage the clutter where you live, and find it difficult or impossible to throw things away.

You might hoard because you feel a strong need to keep things. But your connection to these things can cause you distress. And the impact of hoarding can affect your day-to-day life.

Hoarding disorder is a mental health problem that a doctor can diagnose. But you might also experience hoarding as part of another mental or physical health problem.

If you hoard, you might:

• Feel the need to get more things, even if you have a lot already
• Have very strong positive feelings whenever you get more things
• Feel very upset or anxious at the thought of throwing or giving things away because of your emotional attachment to them
• Find it very hard to decide what to keep or get rid of
• Find it hard to organise your things
• Have so many things that you can't use parts of the place you live in – like not sleeping on the bed or using the sink
• Have lots of disagreements with the people close to you about your things
• Find it hard to pack for trips away, like a holiday – you might pack many more things than you really need, because you can't decide what's important

 There is useful information on:

• Symptoms
• Causes
• Self-care
• Treatments
• For family and friends
• Useful contacts

Visit our website for more details.https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/hoarding/about-hoarding/