Source: SeriousIllness.org

Perhaps you wonder if your family member is a “hoarder.” You may even harbor secret fears about yourself! We all have cherished possessions. From trophies to teacups. Spare buttons to cans of half-used paint.

To save things is normal. To hoard compulsively is not.

Most of us can determine when we have “enough.” And we can decide to stop buying things and/or start donating or recycling things or throwing them away. Hoarding is different. The formal definition of a person with a hoarding disorder is a person who

* acquires and fails to discard a large number of possessions that appear to be useless or of limited value
* lives or works in spaces so cluttered they cannot be used as originally intended
* has significant distress and/or problems in everyday life that are caused by the hoarding behavior

What’s “normal” in home clutter occurs across a spectrum. The disorder of hoarding falls at the far end of this spectrum:

* Clutter free
* Clutter
* Social impairment: problems in everyday life, such as inability to find bills that must be paid, can’t invite friends or family to visit
* Safety issues: piles on the floor create a falling hazard. Belongings stacked on top of each other create a fire hazard
* Squalor/health hazard: infestation by mold, bacteria, insects, or rodents. (At this late stage, the local fire department and/or Adult Protective Services typically begin an intervention.)

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