mental health disorders
Hoarding Disorder
Introduction
In hoarding disorder, people persistently have such difficulty discarding or parting with possessions that objects accumulate and clutter living areas enough to make them unusable. Unlike collectors, people accumulate things in a disorganized way and have difficulty parting with things of little value. Doctors diagnose the disorder when people accumulate too many possessions, have great difficulty parting with these possessions, and are significantly distressed or are less able to function because of the hoarding. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and certain medications may help. Hoarding symptoms often begin during adolescence. The disorder may be mild at first but may gradually worsen as people age, causing substantial problems by the time people are in their mid-30s. About 2 to 6% of people are thought to have this disorder. It is equally prevalent in females and males. 