There is hair pulling help for those with this compulsive-disorder in the form of trichotillomania support. It's important to find outside support for your disorder even after you seek and have benefitted from professional trichotillomania treatment. Although researchers have begun studying hair pulling disorder more deeply in recent years, experts still don't know exactly what causes trichotillomania.

Campaigns that advocate trichotillomania support and recognition have sprung up all over the U.S. and Europe. Joining a trichotillomania support group will allow you to talk to other people who also have experienced the negative effects of the condition. Listening to the stories of others and sharing your own can help you maintain the progress you've made in therapy and your story may also help someone else.

Hair Pulling Help Through Group Support

You can find hair pulling help groups in your community or online. Ask your family physician or your mental health therapist about trichotillomania support in your area. If you live in a rural area, or some other factors prevent you from getting out to participate in a group, you may consider finding and joining an online group.

The Trichotillomania Learning Center lists a collection of resources covering several states across the continental United States. Check out their support group database.

Other online hair pulling help communities include:

Daily Strength – Trichotillomania Support Group

TrichStar – Trichotillomania Support Forum

Trichotillomania Support Online – Trichotillomania Support (UK based, but they welcome people from all over the world)

As with any mental health disorder, participating in a trichotillomania support group can provide much-needed moral and emotional support for members. Talk to your mental health treatment provider about the benefits of joining a support group dedicated to hair pulling help.

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While most people know about suicide hotlines available via phone, many people are not aware that suicide chat hotlines are also available. Suicide hotline chats are available online and sometimes even over cell phone text messaging. These types of suicide prevention can be helpful for some people who are more comfortable communicating through the written word rather than through speech. Additionally, suicide hotline chats can be helpful for those with hearing impairment.

Who Uses a Suicide Hotline Chat?

Typically it's younger people who use suicide hotline chats. This is because young people are very accustomed to communicating with others in this manner. It may seem more natural for some to chat with another person (especially a stranger) rather than call a helpline. Many people are also accustomed to text messaging even hundreds of times per day, so that option makes sense to them.

People who are very concerned about anonymity might also choose to use a suicide hotline chat. For some, hiding their identity when talking about such a sensitive subject is critical and without protection, they may not contact help at all.

Available Suicide Hotline Online Chats

The main suicide hotline online chat in the United States is available through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline). The Lifeline chat is available seven days a week from 2:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.

• Find the Lifeline's Crisis Chat here: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/

Outside of the Lifeline's suicide hotline online chat, it is best to call their crisis phone number at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Suicide hotline online chat is also available through The Trevor Project. This project aims itself at lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth (LGBTQ). Chat is available from 3:00 p.m.-9:00p.p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

• Find the Trevor Project's online chat here. http://www.thetrevorproject.org/pages/get-help-now

Outside of the online chat, you can call The Trevor Lifeline at 1-866-488-7386 which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

There is also a suicide hotline online chat available for military veterans through the Veterans Crisis Line. This chat is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• Find Veterans Chat here. https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/get-help/chat

Another suicide hotline online chat is available through imalive.org. This chat is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week but may be unavailable at times due to call volume.

• Find the chat at imalive.org here. https://www.imalive.org/

Text Message Suicide Hotlines

Text message suicide hotlines may not be as effective as other kinds of hotlines because it's so difficult to thoroughly communicate in this way. However, text messages are still a better option than not reaching out at all.

A 24 hour a day, seven days a week text messaging suicide hotline is available through the Nevada Crisis call center. http://www.crisiscallcenter.org/index.html

• Text "ANSWER" to 839863

A crisis text messaging hotline for teens is available through Crisis Text Line 24 hours a day, seven days a week. http://www.crisistextline.org/

• Text "SUPPORT" to 741741

A text messaging hotline is also available through The Trevor Project for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. This service is available 4:00 p.m.-8: 00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. http://www.thetrevorproject.org/pages/get-help-now

• Text "Trevor" to 1-202-304-1200

Hair pulling in children refers to a hair pulling disorder called trichotillomania in which the child feels a persistent, excessive urge to pull out his or her own hair. The practice results in obvious hair loss. Although it's common for children and teens to play with their hair, compulsive hair pulling in children can develop into a serious condition.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Health, Fifth Edition (DSM-V), lists trichotillomania in children and adults in the chapter entitled, Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders.

Physicians frequently classify hair pulling in children as simply a hair pulling habit; whereas, adolescent-onset trichotillomania typically indicates a more serious psychopathology.

Overview of Hair Pulling in Children

Hair pulling in children, or trichotillomania, usually begins in the preteen or adolescent years, but doctors have reported seeing the disorder in toddlers and young children. Although usually confined to hair on the head or face, children with the condition may pull hair on virtually any part of the body:

• Head
• Face (i.e. eyebrows and eyelashes)
• Arms and legs
• Pubic area

Experts don't have a clear understanding of what causes trichotillomania in children or adolescents, but theorize that a number of factors may contribute to the development of the condition:

• Genetic factors – children with a first degree relative with the disorder are more likely to develop it.
• Brain chemistry – research indicates that deficiencies of important brain chemicals (i.e. serotonin or dopamine) may contribute to the development of the condition
• Environmental factors – some experts believe traumatic events may trigger childhood or adolescent onset (i.e. abuse, death of loved one, drastic change in living conditions)

The signs and symptoms of trichotillomania in children include:

• Persistent, excessive pulling of one's hair that results in obvious hair loss
• A mounting sense of tension or anxiety directly before hair pulling or when trying to resist in compulsive hair pulling
• A rush of pleasure, relief, or gratification when hair is finally pulled out
• No other mental disorders or physical illness can account for the hair loss
• The condition results in significant impairment in social, educations, or employment activities
• The child or adolescent may or may not have an awareness that their behavior is abnormal and excessive

Doctors will diagnose hair pulling in children as trichotillomania if the child exhibits a recurring behavior of hair pulling that causes them considerable anxiety and distress. Prior to diagnosis, the doctor may conduct the following tests:

• Biopsy of the scalp or bald area to test for bacterial, viral, or fungal infections
• Tests for alopecia or spot baldness
• Other possible medical explanations for hair pulling and spot baldness

The primary focus for treating hair pulling in children involves psychotherapy approaches and, sometimes, medication. Doctors usually treat trichotillomania in children using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques that help the child become self-aware of their pulling and the things that trigger it.

Once children understand and become aware of their habit, they can then begin habit reversal therapy. Some experts recommend that patients take measures to make hair pulling more challenging (i.e. wearing bandages around fingernails or wearing all hair under a hat). For more difficult cases, doctors may recommend a special type of CBT called exposure and response prevention therapy which works to expose the patient to triggers and then resist the urge to pull hair.

Especially with children and adolescents, medication isn't the first choice, but the doctor may prescribe antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during the course of therapy.

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Certain medical conditions can cause symptoms of OCD and related disorders. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Health, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) recognizes this by creating a new category for Obsessive- Compulsive and Related Disorders Due to Another Medical Condition. This category appears in the chapter on typical obsessive-compulsive and related disorders.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a mental illness in which you have unwanted, intrusive and repetitive thoughts and feelings called obsessions. These obsessions cause severe anxiety and may make you feel driven to perform ritualistic behaviors called compulsions.

OCD and Related Disorders Caused by Medical Conditions

Some physical diseases can cause symptoms of OCD and its related disorders, such as excoriation (compulsive skin picking) and trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling). Before giving a diagnosis of OCD or related disorder, it's critical that the doctor consider all possible causes in order to give appropriate and effective treatment.

Compulsive skin picking can develop due to organic illnesses, including:

• Anemia – can lead to poor circulation and poor oxygenation of extremities causing itching sensations
• Liver disease
• Uremia (kidney failure)
• Allergic reaction causing rash
• Acne vulgaris
• Other skin conditions

Trichotillomania, or compulsive hair pulling, can develop due to a number of medical illnesses or conditions, including:

• Tinea capitis – a fungal infection of the scalp commonly referred to as ringworm can result in itchiness, irritation, and noticeable hair loss.
• Scalp acne – irritation of the scalp area caused by cystic acne can cause individuals to pick at their scalp, pulling out noticeable clumps of hair in the process
• Psoriasis
• Seborrheic dermatitis
• Other scalp conditions

Obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms can also be caused by certain illnesses, including:

PANDAS – Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infection (PANDAS). A simple strep throat infection can cause this disorder, one of the symptoms of which is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). A formerly happy, social, athletic, well-adjusted child may begin to exhibit many or all of these symptoms:

• Sudden onset of OCD
• Challenges with eating
• Intense sensory issues with textures, sound, light
• Deterioration of small motor skills
• Tics
• ADHD
• Sudden onset of severe anxiety associated with OCD and panic attacks
• Severe separation anxiety
• Intense fear of germs and contamination associated with pure OCD

Find more information about PANDAS in the International OCD Foundation webpage detailing sudden and severe onset of OCD. Researchers are studying the validity of treating this type of OCD with antibiotics in addition to the traditional OCD treatments that include antidepressants and behavioral therapy.

Wilson's Disease – an inherited neurodegenerative disorder that includes liver disease and/or psychiatric disorders, such as isolated OCD. Typical OCD therapies have not worked for this OCD, but when used in conjunction with chelating (removal of toxins from the blood) and behavioral therapy, doctors have seen improvement.

Pica – Pica is an illness in which individuals compulsively hunger for non-nutritive substances like dirt, chalk, sand, or clay. Common in those with brain injuries, developmental disabilities, or autism, it also occurs in some people with epilepsy. Many cases report that their pica occurs as a compulsive behavior compelled by obsessive thoughts to relieve severe anxiety. While other OCD symptoms and behaviors are lessened by traditional OCD therapies, the pica behavior was not significantly affected. Although more research is needed, some experts believe pica may represent a manifestation of OCD.

Other mental illnesses, like postpartum depression or schizophrenia, can mimic the symptoms of OCD, so before a doctor or mental health professional gives a diagnosis, it's important to rule out organic illnesses or other mental health issues.

Treatment of OCD and Related Disorders Due to Another Medical Condition

If an individual's OCD behavior arises due to a treatable organic illness, such as tinea capitis, acne vulgaris, or other skin or scalp condition, symptoms usually disappear once the underlying problem is treated. When the OCD occurs because of PANDAS, Wilson's Disease, Pica, or other organic illness that isn't fully understood, treatment can prove more challenging.

If the causative organic illness goes away, the OCD symptoms often diminish as well. In cases where they do not, treatment of OCD continues after the underlying illness is gone. These treatments include medication therapy with selective serotonin uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and cognitive behavioral therapy as both work to help people manage symptoms and compulsive urges.

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When Thinking About How to Talk About Being Gay

When you're ready to start talking about being gay, consider these tips:

1. Start speaking about the subject in a very casual and general way.
2. Speak about the pressing issues. If you want to see if a person is homophobic, ask about their stance on gay marriage or gays in the military.
3. Let people know where you stand. If a derogatory term is used as part of an offensive joke, speak up and let it be known that those kinds of things make you uncomfortable.
4. Other friends can help. If someone at school or a friend is gay, bring up his or her name to see how another person will react.
5. Go for it! You may choose to drop the big question, "Are you gay?" or mention that you have been thinking about the same sex.
6. Breathe. Make sure you are ready for this conversation because it can be extremely stressful.

When Talking About Being Gay:

1. If your friend is visibly uncomfortable, change the subject immediately.
2. Do not approach anyone about their sexuality unless it is a close friend or relative.
3. Choose an appropriate environment. Make sure there are no other distractions or other people listening.
4. Start out with the least amount of commitment first. Instead of plunging right into the fact that you are gay, maybe mention that you have felt an attraction to the same sex recently. This may be easier for some people to understand and, in turn, make them more open to discussion.

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Are you looking to become a suicide hotline volunteer? While some suicide hotlines, like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, are staffed with professional counselors that undergo over 100 hours of training before ever answering a call, many are staffed by trained suicide hotline volunteers who don't have as much training. While processes do vary, it is possible for many people to become suicide hotline volunteers either as operators or in other positions.

Why Volunteer at a Suicide Hotline? Who Should Volunteer?

People want to volunteer at suicide hotlines for many reasons. It may be because they have had their own struggles with suicide in the past or it may simply be that they want to help others.

However, just because you want to volunteer for a suicide hotline doesn't mean that a volunteer operator position is the best fit for you. Operators must be able to work in high-stress situations, follow scripts and prompts, be able to assess a dangerous situation quickly and then be able to take the appropriate action. Some people who have struggled with mental health issues in the past may not be the best choice in this scenario because they can become too emotionally involved in the calls and it is bad for their own mental health. A suicide hotline volunteer needs to be calm and collected on the phone and some people cannot put their own strong emotions to the side in that way.

Keep in mind that even if you decide being a suicide hotline operator isn't for you, there are typically many other volunteers needed at a suicide hotline that you may be qualified for. Examples of these positions include:

• Event volunteers
• Administration volunteers
• Workshop facilitators
• Crisis center volunteers

Process for Becoming a Suicide Hotline Volunteer

Suicide hotlines are looking for qualified volunteers and these qualifications range from experience and education in a mental health field to simply having the right kind of personality to handle emergency situations.

According to The Trevor Project, a crisis helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, the process of becoming a volunteer is the following:

1. Attend an organization orientation.
2. Submit an application.
3. Interview.
4. Get a background check. (This may involve personal references as well as a criminal background check.)
5. Complete training.

Suicide Hotline Jobs

To find a suicide hotline job, it's often best to go to the website of the suicide hotline and look for a section there on volunteering or contact the organization directly. Job boards specific to volunteering in a specific community, or online, are places to look for volunteer opportunities as well.

Some places specific suicide hotline jobs are advertised include:

• Opportunities with The Trevor Project 
• VolunteerMatch.org
• CrisisLink.org
• And many general job boards – simply search for "suicide hotline"

You may know Hoarding Disorder as compulsive hoarding or extreme hoarding. Previously classified as merely a symptom or sub-type of obsessive-compulsive disorder, experts have promoted compulsive hoarding from sub-type to actual disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, or DSM-5, classifies hoarding disorder as a mental illness separate from other disorders, which is a good thing when it comes to selecting an effective treatment for hoarding.

America Gets a Peek Into Hoarding Disorder

Hoarding disorder has made its way into living room and water cooler conversations across the country. These days, it seems everyone knows what a compulsive hoarder is. The condition is the subject of the popular show, Hoarders, on A&E channel. The show shamefully spotlights and makes a spectacle of the tendency shared by many people – a debilitating condition for well over a million Americans.

Disconcerted viewers may think to themselves, "I am glad I am not as bad as those people!" Then there are those who may secretly worry, "I have some similar tendencies! Am I becoming a compulsive hoarder?" If you feel the show mocks the sensitive subject, you would not be alone.

However, if you keep an open mind, you may find there is a societal benefit in bringing hoarding disorder to everyone's attention. People who need treatment, but have been unaware of available help, may gain the knowledge they need to seek that help. Since 2009, A&E's Hoarders has enjoyed enormous popularity, showing that hoarding disorder strikes a chord with mainstream America.

Compulsive Hoarding or Hobby?

Compulsive hoarding comes in a variety of forms. A compulsive hoarder may collect knick-knacks, books and papers, food items, or even animals. Whatever the items of obsession, the hoarder cannot bear to part with them. The reason could involve an emotional connection.

In other words, the person may feel the objects have sentimental value or evoke pleasant memories. Another reason could come out of a desire to avoid wastefulness. One hoarder may keep things that he believes he may need later on. Another compulsive hoarder may have a fear of losing information she'll want later, such as books, magazines, even junk mail.

Doctors and mental health professionals look for certain hoarding symptoms or characteristics when diagnosing a person with hoarding disorder:

• Excessive and persistent collection of items regardless of material worth
• Absolute inability to part with any of the collected items
• The accumulation fills up entire living or working space, making normal use impossible
• Hoarding behavior causes significant anxiety and distress in the hoarder that impairs functioning in daily life
• Hoarding behavior is not due to a medical condition

Hobby collectors and people who simply don't keep a neat living or workspace typically don't fit diagnostic criteria for hoarding disorder. Many people have collections of favorite items and memorabilia and most people collect clutter to varying degrees. But healthy people have very little problem sorting through and discarding their clutter when time and situation allows. In the mind of the compulsive hoarder, every single collected item has value. Just the thought of discarding an item usually results in severe anxiety.

Extreme Hoarding – A Silent Cry for Help

What you typically see on television represent cases of extreme hoarding. People who suffer from this mental illness often cannot navigate around their homes because of the excessive amounts of debris stacked and stored in every available space. Many refuse to allow visitors inside. Those who live with other family members create unhealthy environments not only for themselves, but also for their loved ones.

If you entered a hoarder's home, you would likely notice an overwhelming smell. The smell could come from mildew, rotten food, or even dead animals lurking behind and under the stacks of stuff that no one could reach to clean out.

Hoarders who rent their homes risk eviction because of the mess and unsafe conditions. The filthy environment can lead to frequent or chronic illness. Certainly, social interactions and family relationships would become difficult for a hoarder. Even keeping a job can prove challenging because of frequent sickness and lack of hygiene.

Pack Rat Personality vs. Hoarding Mental Illness

So, you have always thought of your quirky Aunt Betty as a pack rat, but never considered that she might have the mental illness called hoarding? The typical pack rat is simply an unorganized person who lacks organization skills and puts off sorting through clutter. A compulsive hoarder takes this tendency to the extreme--not just procrastinating, but purposely keeping things most folks would call trash.

There is no denying that unlike typical pack rats, compulsive hoarding behavior indicates a serious psychological illness. Fortunately, doctors have effective treatments specifically for hoarding mental illness, since the DSM-5 now classifies it as a separate diagnosis.

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A Working Definition of Hoarding

You've probably seen a working definition of hoarding in action on the tv show "Hoarders." People who engage in excessive or extreme hoarding save items regardless of worth and have persistent difficulty parting with them. This can cause immense amounts of clutter that takes up usable living spaces and gets in the way of everyday life. The hoarding can become so bad that a narrow pathway, winding through the massive stacks of clutter is the only way to move around.

Classic Hoarding Definition

Here's a more academic hoarding definition:

Compulsive hoarding refers to a disorder characterized by difficulty throwing away items that appear to carry little or no worth to the average person. This results in a massive accumulation of clutter and debris that makes living and workspaces difficult to navigate and impossible to use as intended. The excessive clutter can lead to unsanitary environments, causing significant health issues for the ill person and those nearby.

In order to receive an official diagnosis of compulsive hoarding, the individual must experience severe anxiety or distress over the thought of discarding any of the accumulated items and the accumulation must impair normal daily life. People with hoarding disease aren't just messy or collectors. The clutter and mess that occurs with hoarding eclipses that of someone who simply doesn't care to keep a neat home or office. Unlike collectors, hoarders do not maintain or organize the items they keep.

Excessive Behaviors and Compulsions Define Hoarding

Excessive behaviors and compulsions define hoarding and differentiate the disorder from even the most avid and diverse hobby collector. Think about it this way:

Imagine that you collect matchbooks, shot glasses, and foreign coins and that you've done so for many years, perhaps even since your youth. You wouldn't just stack the shot glasses you've collected against a wall in a hallway or shove your now massive matchbook collection in a pile on the kitchen counter. Most likely, you'd have a special display for your shot glasses and the favorite matchbooks you've acquired. Perhaps you'd keep the rest neatly organized in a trunk or other specific container. Certainly, you'd have an album with acid-free paper pages, especially for the purpose of organizing and keeping your stamps. People may jokingly quip that you hoard stamps or shot glasses, but that's exactly what it is – a joke.

People who exhibit hoarding signs, symptoms and behaviors, collect just about everything and they don't organize the items into separate categories, containers, or display cases. They pile them up in hallways (often up to the ceiling), on dining tables, coffee tables, and in the center of floors. It can get so bad that they even cover up their beds, showers, and bathroom counter space. When people suffering from hoarding disease collect live animals, the animal waste, fur, dander, and subsequent insect infestations can become overwhelming, leading to considerable health risks for both humans and animals.

Diagnostic Definition of Hoarding Altered by DSM-5

The DSM-5 alters the definition of hoarding diagnostic criteria, listing it as a separate diagnosis in the new chapter on obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. Mental health professionals believe this will increase access to hoarding treatment for people suffering from the condition. This new classification of the disorder will ease barriers to professional help for the millions of Americans who suffer from the disorder in varying degrees.

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Behind the Causes of Hoarding

Hoarding causes people to form extreme emotional attachments to inanimate objects and, sometimes, animals. People who suffer from hoarding disorder tend to personify the items they accumulate, attaching human characteristics to them. Frequently, hoarders (What is hoarding?) don't even know what they have in their massive piles and stacks of stuff. What's more, they typically don't use the useless items they purchase and accumulate. So what causes hoarding?

The Psychology of Hoarding

If you understand what's behind the psychology of hoarding, it's easier to discern the difference between hoarding disorder and collection or just plain messiness. While specific hoarding causes remain elusive to researchers, new studies have shed some light on this serious mental disorder. The most recent research shows abnormal activity in the decision-making region of hoarders' brains. The abnormal activity shows up when study investigators asked people with hoarding disorder to make a decision about whether or not to keep something or throw it away. Experts say that this area of the brain involves decision-making under ambiguous conditions, risk assessment, and emotional stress.

Oddly, even though the living spaces of hoarders become overrun with debilitating piles of worthless junk, the disorder is related to perfectionism in that it's associated with an intense fear of making the wrong decision.

Although experts still aren't clear about hoarding causes, some factors that may contribute to hoarding, according to Harvard Medical School include:

• Impulsive behavior patterns
• Issues with excessive emotional attachment
• Neurological issues associated with abnormal brain structures
• Abnormal thinking patterns affecting decision-making

OCD and Hoarding – Separated at DSM-V

OCD and hoarding aren't as closely related as experts once believed. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition – TR (DSM-IV-TR) classifies hoarding as a possible symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder. But the new DSM-V separates the two, classifying hoarding disorder as a separate diagnosis. Further, OCD used to fall under the umbrella of anxiety disorders. In the new manual, OCD gets its own chapter entitled, Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. Hoarding disorder appears in the related disorders section of this new chapter.

If it's a separate disorder, why do hoarding and OCD appear together in the new DSM-V? Easy. Although they're now considered two distinct disorders, they're still kissing cousins of a sort.

David Tolin director of the Institute of Living, a mental health center in Connecticut, conducted a research study in which scientists used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study the brain activity in healthy adults, adults with OCD, and adults with hoarding disorder. When asked to make decisions about throwing away pieces of their junk, the brains of hoarders went into anxiety-ridden overdrive. Out of the three groups, the hoarders discarded significantly fewer items than did the healthy people and those with OCD. Interestingly, hoarders had no issues making good decisions about throwing away the junk of others.

The study indicates that, although significant amounts of anxiety are associated with both OCD and hoarding, the distress comes from different root causes and environmental triggers. Researchers still have a long way to go when it comes to isolating the exact hoarding causes, but they continue to make consistent progress toward that end.

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Symptoms of hoarding aren't difficult to recognize. The living spaces of hoarders become unusable as they fill up with excessive amounts of junk laid on virtually every available surface. Hoarders use sinks, beds, hallways, stairs, desks, countertops, ovens, cabinets, and stoves to store items that most people would view as worthless. (Get the definition of hoarding)

Although hoarding signs and symptoms are astonishingly clear, you may ask yourself, "Why do people hoard? What is the psychology of hoarding?" Individuals with hoarding disorder save these personal items because they may have an emotional attachment to them or fear they may need it sometime in the future. Still other hoarders save items because they don't want to waste anything or the massive heaps of junk make them feel safe.

Hoarding Symptoms

Although people suffer from the disorder in varying degrees, many exhibit common hoarding symptoms early on. Experts estimate that anywhere from 2 to 5 percent of the U.S. population suffers from hoarding disorder with very few of those actually seeking help for the condition. Research suggests that more men than women suffer from hoarding disorder.

Common hoarding symptoms include:

• Inability or very strong reluctance to throw anything away
• Moving items of no use or value from one place to another, yet never tossing them out
• Keeping stacks and stacks of paper that has no use or value (keeping old bills, newspapers, event flyers, sales flyers, etc.)
• Difficulty in making simple decisions
• Significant procrastination
• No organization skills or ability to categorize items for storage
• Excessive emotional attachment to random items
• Shame about their massive accumulation of stuff
• Limited or no social activity with others
• Impulsive, excessive purchasing of unnecessary items
• Unsafe and unsanitary living conditions due to the accumulation of junk

Hoarders can save anything, but some common things include:

• Food
• Receipts
• Mail
• Clothing
• Newspapers
• Books
• Animals – according to Harvard Medical School, despite the fact that media and television shows have brought animal hoarding to public attention, it's actually very rare

Learning about the signs and symptoms of hoarding and how to find help, such as hoarding support groups and therapy, represent important ways you can help people with this debilitating mental illness get the treatment they need.

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