What Is Hoarding or Hoarding Disorder?

Written by Keri Wiginton
Medically Reviewed by Jabeen Begum, MD on May 22, 2024
11 min read

Hoarding disorder is a mental health condition that makes it hard or impossible to throw things away. You save things regardless of how much they’re worth. 

Hoarding can make your living space cluttered, crowded, and unsafe. Over time, it can take a toll on your physical and emotional well-being, as well as your relationships and job. Treatment can help you manage symptoms, which range from moderate to severe. 

Psychology of hoarding 

Hoarding disorder is a subtype of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. It’s sometimes called compulsive hoarding and is a unique condition separate from general obsessive-compulsive disorder.

If you have hoarding disorder, you can’t throw things away because the thought or act of parting with your possessions triggers too much stress and anxiety. You may cling to your things because you think you might need them later or because you have a strong emotional attachment to your stuff.

Clutter vs. hoarding 

Clutter is when you leave things lying around in a disorganized way. A messy attic or a pile of random items on top of a chair or on the floor, for example. People who have hoarding disorder are often surrounded by clutter, but you can have a cluttered space for many reasons.

Collecting vs. hoarding 

People who collect things usually do so in an organized way with a purpose. You may show off your collection in a living area. But unlike with hoarding disorder, your items typically don’t take over a space or keep you from using the area for its intended purpose.

There’s no single reason behind hoarding disorder. Possible causes may include genetics, brain activity, and stressful life events. There’s ongoing research in this area. 

Hoarding risk factors

Around 2%-5% of adults may have hoarding disorder, though the condition likely goes undiagnosed in a lot of people. Men and women seem equally likely to hoard, and the condition appears in countries and cultures all over the world. 

Researchers aren’t sure why some people form hoarding disorder, but certain things raise your odds of getting it. For instance, you’re much more likely to have hoarding disorder if another family member has it or you grow up in a hoarding environment. 

Age is another factor. Symptoms of hoarding disorder may show up in your teen years, but they tend to get worse with age. Hoarding is about three times more common in adults over age 55, compared to young adults and kids.

Other risk factors for hoarding disorder include: 

Brain differences. Certain areas of the brain light up when people with hoarding disorder think about whether to keep or toss their possessions, but these areas aren’t overactive when those same people consider getting rid of other people’s things. 

Some researchers have found that people who hoard also tend to have a specific pattern of activity in other regions of the brain, including dysfunction in areas associated with:

  • Paying attention
  • Decision-making
  • Impulse control
  • Reward processing
  • Emotional reactivity 
  • Organization

Stressful life events. Compared to people who don’t hoard, researchers have found that those with hoarding disorder are more likely to have past traumatic experiences, especially in childhood. 

This may include:

  • Death of a friend or family member
  • Divorce
  • Home robbery
  • Sexual or physical abuse 
  • Losing possessions in an event such as a fire

Other mental health conditions. Around 3 out of 4 people with hoarding disorder have another mental health condition. 

Some of the most common ones include:

  • Depression 
  • Anxiety
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
  • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
  • Psychiatric conditions like schizophrenia 

Personality traits. People who hoard often show signs of perfectionism, indecisiveness, and procrastination. In other words, you may not throw things away because you’re afraid to make the wrong choice, so you keep objects because you’d rather make no choice at all. 

On top of certain personality traits, specific personality disorders associated with hoarding include: 

  • Paranoid
  • Schizotypal
  • Avoidant
  • Obsessive-compulsive 

Your experience may not be the same as someone else’s, but there are some telltale signs of hoarding disorder. 

Symptoms of hoarding disorder include: 

  • Trouble letting go of possessions, no matter their worth 
  • Urge to save things because you think you’ll need them later 
  • Strong emotional attachment to objects
  • Not being able to use spaces (like rooms in your home) due to clutter

You may also: 

  • Have trouble in your social or work life because of hoarding 
  • Feel anxious about people touching your things 
  • Isolate from friends and family
  • Have problems planning or organizing 

If you hoard, you might also find it hard to stop buying things or bringing home free stuff even though you don’t have anywhere to put it. 

If your living areas or storage spaces do get cleaned out or organized, it’s likely because someone did it for you. And the clutter usually comes back. 

What do people usually hoard? 

You can hoard pretty much anything. But some common things to hoard include:

  • Books, newspapers, or magazines
  • Mail, bills, or other paperwork 
  • New or old food
  • Clothes or shoes
  • Emails or digital files

Some people hoard:

  • Boxes or tote bags
  • Anything used for storage
  • Broken things you plan to fix later 
  • Old drawings or other childhood things
  • Physical photos or digital pictures

Kids with hoarding disorder. Hoarding is more common in older adults, but it can show up in kids as young as 6 or 7. While children are often disorganized or messy, and they may collect things such as stuffed animals, stickers, or toys, hoarding goes beyond normal childhood behaviors. 

Here are some signs of hoarding in kids:

  • Your child gets very upset when you clean their room.
  • The surface of their floor or bed is covered in stuff. 
  • Their closet is filled and they can’t get to their clothes. 
  • They have a strong emotional connection to objects. 
  • They throw a fit or get violent if you toss their things. 

You may hold on to your possessions for different reasons, including: 

  • You keep things “just in case.”
  • Your things trigger good memories.
  • Your stress is too strong when you try to throw things away.
  • You think throwing anything away is wasteful.
  • Your stuff makes you happy.
  • You can’t figure out the perfect way to get rid of things. 
  • You never think you have enough stuff.

Hoarding typically includes saving physical items, like the ones mentioned in the above section. But some people hoard animals or things you can save on a digital device.

Hoarding animals. People commonly hoard cats and dogs, but you may collect rats, reptiles, or other creatures. Animal hoarding means you have so many animals, you can’t take proper care of them, even if your goal is to protect them.

Animal hoarding may include: 

  • Keeping dozens or hundreds of animals 
  • Giving pets too much or too little food
  • Not taking animals to get veterinary care
  • Living in unsanitary conditions 
  • Putting animals in cages on top of each other 

If you keep lots of animals inside, your living space may get covered in pee and poop. This can be a health and safety risk for you and your pets (animal neglect). 

Digital hoarding. Many people keep emails and photos. And lots of folks save articles, podcasts, or links to read or revisit later. Digital hoarding is when you can’t control how much data you save, and your behavior causes stress, anxiety, or negatively affects your life in some way.

Digital hoarding may include: 

  • A strong emotional attachment to emails, photos, or videos
  • Anxiety that your files won’t be there when you need them
  • Refusing to delete digital files or data 
  • Disorganized storage of data

Here are some examples of the impact hoarding can have on you and your loved ones: 

  • Important documents (like bills you need to pay) can get lost in the clutter. 
  • You may have hygiene issues if you can’t use your bathroom or washing machine. 
  • You may not be able to use your kitchen to cook food. 
  • Your bed may be covered in so much stuff, you can’t sleep on it. 
  • Your fridge may get too full to keep new food. 
  • Fresh food may go bad if you buy too much at one time. 

Other ways hoarding can affect you include: 

  • You may trip over things or stuff may fall on you. 
  • Cardboard boxes, papers, or wires may become fire hazards. 
  • You may not let people come over because you’re ashamed of your hoarding. 
  • You may fight with your loved ones about your hoarding. 
  • You may get kicked out of your home if your hoarding becomes a health issue. 

Many people with hoarding disorder don’t go to the doctor because they’re worried about their hoarding behavior. Instead, you may seek treatment for something else, such as depression, anxiety, or trouble with friends or family. 

But if you think you have hoarding disorder or you’re worried a loved one might, get help from a mental health professional. Before you make the appointment, ask if they have experience treating people with hoarding disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or related conditions.

Here are some questions a doctor may ask you to diagnose hoarding disorder: 

  • Do you get stressed or anxious when you try to throw things out?
  • Do you have a strong emotional connection to things regardless of their worth?
  • Do you have trouble recycling things or giving your stuff away?
  • Do you have clutter on many or all the surfaces and rooms in your home?
  • Are there living spaces you can’t use because they’re filled with stuff?

Some other questions that may lead to a diagnosis include: 

  • Does your urge to save things bother you?
  • Do you keep buying things or collecting free stuff even though you don’t have extra space?
  • Do your symptoms get in the way of school, work, or your social life?
  • Are any of your family members concerned that you keep too much stuff?

Your doctor may also ask for the following: 

  • Your medical history 
  • A list of any other mental health symptoms
  • Permission to talk to friends or family members
  • Pictures of your living area or any storage spaces

There’s no cure, but treatment can help you get a handle on your hoarding. Talk to your doctor or a mental health professional to learn more about your choices. 

Treatment for hoarding disorder may include: 

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This is a type of talk therapy, and it’s the go-to treatment for hoarding disorder. CBT with a trained therapist can help you manage the unhelpful thoughts and behaviors that lead to hoarding. 

CBT for hoarding can help you: 

  • Learn why you have the urge to save so much stuff. 
  • Feel less anxiety when you throw things away.
  • Manage your urge to hoard. 
  • Understand why your hoarding is a problem. 
  • Figure out what items you really need. 
  • Improve your decision-making and organization skills.

Your therapist can also set you up with an organizer or cleanup specialist who works with people who have hoarding disorder. 

Medication. There aren’t any drugs approved to treat hoarding disorder. But your doctor may prescribe you antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), particularly if you have anxiety, depression, or another mental health condition. 

Treatment for kids. 

Treatment depends on a child’s age. For kids age 8 or younger, a therapist can help you understand the best way to manage your child’s behavior. This may include finding ways to prevent your child from collecting things and rewarding them when they get rid of things. 

The go-to way to manage hoarding disorder for older kids is the same as with adults: cognitive behavioral therapy and sometimes medication, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. 

Hoarding disorder can harm many areas of your life. It can cause: 

  • Injury or safety issues
  • Arguments with your friends or family
  • Loneliness 
  • Health problems due to unclean living conditions 
  • Problems at work

Other complications from hoarding include: 

  • Legal issues (such as having to move out of your home)
  • Divorce or separation from your partner 
  • Loss of child custody if your home becomes unsafe or unclean 
  • Trouble with the law if you hoard and neglect animals 
  • Depression or worse quality of life
  • Poor mental health for anyone who lives with you

Talk to your regular doctor if you or a loved one has hoarding disorder. They can refer you to a mental health professional who’ll help you manage your symptoms.

Here are some tips they might suggest: 

  • Set small goals, such as getting rid of one thing every day.
  • Organize one area for a limited amount of time.
  • Come up with a tidying routine. 
  • Cancel subscriptions that send you mail or magazines.
  • Create a timetable for when you’ll toss unused things.

Hard feelings may come up when you try to gain control over your hoarding. Here are some ways to find support: 

  • Talk to someone about what you’re going through. 
  • Find a support group for other people who have hoarding disorder. 
  • Write down your feelings in a journal.
  • Use relaxation or stress management techniques.
  • Get regular physical activity and prioritize sleep.
  • Seek professional help.

Hoarding stigma. Hoarding often comes with feelings of shame. You may hide your condition and have trouble asking for help because you’re worried what other people will think of you. If you get hurt or sick because of your hoarding, you may not want to get medical help because you’re embarrassed. 

It’s important to remind yourself that hoarding disorder is a mental health condition, and treatment can help you regain control of your life.

You may be worried about your loved one’s health, safety, or well-being. Here are some tips on what you should and shouldn’t do to support someone with hoarding.

Do the following:

  • Treat their things with respect. 
  • Offer unconditional support.
  • Ask how you can help.
  • Check with them before calling authorities. 
  • Be patient and celebrate small wins. 

Do not do the following:

  • Clear out their space without permission. 
  • Force them to throw things away.
  • Pay a surprise visit to help them clean up.
  • Shame them for hoarding. 
  • Buy gifts they may have trouble throwing away.

Hoarding cleaning services. If it’s OK with your loved one, ask if you can call a local cleaning service that specializes in hoarding. Do a quick internet search for “hoarding cleanup and removal” to see what services are available in your area. You may find listings for private companies, nonprofit groups, or public health organizations that have experience working with people who have hoarding disorder. 

Hoarding cleaning services may help you: 

  • Find lost items.
  • Clear away clutter.
  • Disinfect and sanitize your home.
  • Do deep cleaning or repairs. 
  • Clean up damage from animal hoarding. 

The average cost of hoarding cleanup depends on the situation, but it can cost thousands of dollars. How much you’ll pay depends on how severe your situation is. You can usually get a free estimate of how much the job will cost. 

Resources that may help you find hoarding cleaning services or support for someone with hoarding disorder include: 

  • International OCD Foundation
  • Hoarding Cleanup
  • National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness 

Hoarding disorder is a chronic mental health condition. There’s no cure, but treatment with talk therapy or medication may help. Talk to your doctor or a mental health professional to find the best way to manage your symptoms and how to get help clearing out your space. 

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about hoarding and hoarding disorder. 

How does living with someone who has a hoarding disorder affect you?

You may face health and safety issues if your home is cluttered or unsanitary. Your loved one’s hoarding may put strain on your relationship. Kids and adults who live with people who hoard things may get depressed, anxious, or angry about what’s happening. 

How can I deal with hoarding?

Talk to a mental health professional. Cognitive behavioral therapy for hoarding disorder can help you manage your thoughts and behaviors around items you no longer need. Antidepressants or other medications may also improve your symptoms. 

Is hoarding a mental health issue?

Yes. Hoarding disorder is considered a chronic mental health condition. It is listed in the DSM-5 (the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a guide for mental health providers).

Does getting house help solve the hoarding issue?

You can’t solve a mental health condition with house help. Instead of hiring someone to clean out or organize the home of someone with hoarding disorder, seek treatment from a mental health professional. They’ll target the emotions and behaviors that lead to hoarding.

What is the average cost to clean a house for hoarding?

Cost varies, depending on how big your home is, how much clutter you have, if you need hazardous material removed, and where you live. But you may spend up to a few thousand dollars or more to clean the home of someone with hoarding disorder. 

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