Do I Have Hoarding Disorder?

Do you have a persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their actual value?

Do you feel a compulsive need to keep items and do you experience distress when facing the prospect of discarding them?

Because you have a hard time discarding possessions, do you accumulate possessions that congest and clutter active living areas and substantially compromise their intended use?

Does the hoarding cause significant distress or impairment in important areas of functioning (e.g., social, occupational, or maintaining a safe environment for self and others)?

Are you sure that the hoarding is not attributable to another medical condition (e.g., brain injury, cerebrovascular disease, Prader-Willi syndrome)?

Are you sure that the hoarding is not better explained by the symptoms of another mental disorder (e.g., obsessions in obsessive-compulsive disorder, delusions in schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder, cognitive deficits in major neurocognitive disorder)?

Based on your answers, you do not have hoarding disorder.

Based on your answers, it is unlikely you have hoarding disorder. However, since you are showing some symptoms related to the disorder, it may be useful to plan a visit to your doctor to discuss your condition. Many people collect objects and in most of cases, this a normal hobby. For example, there are persons who collect model cars, they look for specific items and display their collections. The difference between such cases and a hoarding disorder is that the collections don’t cause distress.

Based on your answers, though it is unlikely that you have hoarding disorder, you are displaying several symptoms that are related to this condition. It is suggested that you consult your doctor and discuss the symptoms. Hoarding disorder can cause problems such as social isolation, family conflicts and poor performance at work. It is important to receive treatment when detecting a sign of this problem to prevent the condition from getting worse.

It seems that you are displaying symptoms typically seen among individuals with a hoarding disorder. It is highly suggested that you consult your doctor or a health professional and discuss the symptoms. Treatments such as cognitive-behavioral therapy can help people with this disorder understand how they can change their behaviors so they can live a happier life. Medications may also be prescribed if it is determined that you suffer from anxiety or depression.