Compulsive Hoarding and Acquiring is a psychological or psychiatric disorder where an individual acquires and keeps a large number of items and has great difficulty getting rid of them or does not discard them. There can be strong sentimental value attached to items acquired even though they appear to have little or arbitrary value. Compulsive hoarding and acquiring behavior has been associated with risks to physical health,  impairment of  functioning, economic difficulties and adversity in relationships (both family, friendships and professional). It can also restrict an individuals movement, make living in the house uncomfortable and even dangerous in severe cases.

Compulsive hoarding and acquiring has been linked to a number of other psychological and psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, alcohol abuse, amongst others. It appears to affect women more than men and is often an underreported problem, where people don’t seek help or don’t think help is available. Compulsive Hoarding and Acquiring has been linked previously to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), however recent research is indicating that it is not the same as OCD and is a different kind of condition, although it can overlap with OCD. For more info on OCD see OCD treatment(www.ocdtreatment.co.za).

Hoarding and Acquiring