Hoarding Disorder May Lead to Increased Suicide Risk |
Take our Hoarding Test
Find a Hoarding Therapist
Hoarding disorder involves compulsive accumulation of new items, keeping old ones, and clutter.
Those with hoarding disorder report suicidal thoughts and behaviours, and 13 percent have attempted suicide.
Hoarding disorder associated with depression and suicidality may be linked to isolation and poor functioning.
Co-authored by Shontae Cameron.
Approximately 2 to 6 percent of the general population meet criteria for hoarding disorder (HD), with similar rates found in men and women, across developed countries. Hoarding behaviours often emerge in adolescence or early adulthood and tend to worsen over time.
This disorder is characterized by difficulty letting go of material possessions, excessive or compulsive accumulation of new items, and disorganization that leads to overwhelming clutter. The disorder is associated with greater social isolation, various medical problems, and significantly lower quality of life. Unfortunately, it is a chronic, progressive condition that can cause significant distress and lead to serious complications, including falls, eviction, self-neglect, malnutrition, food contamination, medication mismanagement, and even death.
Hoarding disorder is often misunderstood and overlooked as common over-collecting. However, while collectors focus on acquiring specific items, organizing, and displaying them, individuals with the disorder tend to accumulate a wide variety of things in a disorganized manner, without any clear purpose or system.
Hoarding disorder was officially recognized as a stand-alone diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) in 2013. Before this, it........