::: Star Weekend Magazine :::

Health

Packrat

Anika Hossain

Do you enjoy collection as a hobby? Do you prize your collection above everything else in your life? Do you see beauty in things no one else finds attractive or even useful? Do you fill your living space with your collection to the point that there is no space left for you? Is your family trying to make you choose between them and your precious belongings? Does the thought of parting with your collection cause you pain? Do you find yourself unable to remember the last time you cleaned your home? If the answer to all of the above is affirmative, there's news for you. You have a psychological problem known as Hoarding.

A typical example of a hoarder would be Khaleda Hasan (not her real name) who lives in her spacious three-bedroom apartment in Uttara. The size of her apartment, instead of giving her breathing space and enjoyment, adds to her problem. Hasan finds herself sleeping in a small space she has cleared out on her living room couch. A tour of her apartment explains why this is the case. All the other rooms including her kitchen and bathrooms are used as what she calls "storage". Almost every inch of these rooms are piled with things from floor to ceiling with narrow pathways to navigate around the place. From what one can make out, her possessions consist of empty bottles, clothes, newspapers, rotting food, etc. She even uses her refrigerator to store her things. The rooms smell terrible and look like they haven't been cleaned in years. When asked what she needs these things for, she seemed surprised and said everything in her house is valuable to her and she would definitely need them "at some point". She said she did not like anyone touching her "stuff" and refused to discuss the matter further when bug infestation and fire hazards were brought up. Sound familiar? Think this could be you or someone you know?

American clinical psychologist and professor Dr Randy O. Frost defines compulsive hoarding as, “The acquisition of and the failure to discard a large number of possessions that appear to be useless or of limited value.” According to Dr Frost, hoarding is different from normal collecting because it causes significant distress and impairs day-to-day living. Hoarding behaviour can be seen mostly in people suffering from another psychological disease known as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD is a neurotic psychological illness, which causes the sufferer to have repeated, intrusive thoughts about something unpleasant. In order to avoid these obsessive thoughts, the sufferer may develop ritualistic behaviours such as hand washing, bathing, excessive cleaning, arranging and rearranging ones possessions, checking doors and windows repeatedly to make sure their homes are secure, etc. -- you get the picture. For hoarders, they develop a compulsion for collecting.

Hoarders usually hold on to their possessions for the same reasons everyone else does. For emotional attachment or sentimental value, for aesthetic value because the item is considered to be attractive or beautiful, or for utility value, hoping they can use them sometime in the future. The only difference, and this is by no means an insignificant one, is that hoarders usually have somewhat of a creative streak in them and can see beauty in things most people would consider trash. They can collect anything from priceless antiques to bubble gum wrappers and rotten food and still believe they are equally valuable and indisposable. They are emotionally attached to their collection and most believe that terrible things may happen if they discard their belongings. Hoarders also need to have control over all their belongings and usually refuse to accept help to sort their things out. They also have problems organising their prossessions. This is because they view each item as unique and cannot seem to categorise them. If a hoarder has a past experience of throwing something out and regretting it later, they may feel increasingly distressed about organising their belongings with someone else. To avoid uncomfortable feelings of anxiety, hoarders may postpone organising their belongings and create complete chaos around them. They usually view their possessions as a part of their identity and are reluctant to discard any of it.

Hoarders usually lack insight into their problems. They cannot comprehend the damage their habit is doing to their lives and the lives of those around them. The worst form of hoarding is probably animal hoarding. The hoarder in this case will love all his/her pets but will be unable to take care of them due to their large numbers and expenses. Most animals in these situations die due to starvation and diseases.

Research has shown that hoarding behaviour can develop for several reasons. A childhood characterised by deprivation, growing up in poverty, falling victim to abuse which can lead to issues of controlling one's surroundings and feeling safe, etc.

The treatment process for hoarding is a long and difficult one. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is the most common technique used to deal with this illness. This involves the hoarder exploring his/her reasons for hoarding with a professional therapist, learning to categorise and organise possessions to help decide which ones can be discarded, improving decision-making skills, de-cluttering one's home with the help of home visits from a therapist or professional organiser. Learning and practising relaxation skills, attending group therapy and family therapy is a part of this process as well. Considering psychiatric hospitalisation if hoarding is severe is very important.

If CBT is not enough to help hoarders, medications such as anti-depressants may be prescribed to help them. Antidepressants have proved to work for many patients with OCD and may help hoarders in some cases. In Bangladesh, hoarding is not considered a psychological illness. However, hoarding risks public health and safety and in severe cases, can lead to suicide.

Worried? Well, you should be, because recent research has shown that this disease can be hereditary. So if you or someone you know is well on their way to becoming the next Khaleda Hasan, you should seriously consider getting help from the nearest psychologist before you end up under a pile of your own junk.