The Hoarder

The motivation behind hoarding behaviors seemingly contradict typical OCD, due largely in part to the lack of personal hygiene, sanitation practices, and overall disregard for their own safety. The individual with signs and symptoms of OCD conjures an image in our heads similar to the role Jack Nicholson played in "As Good As It Gets" with the frequent hand-washing routine, repetitive motions, a high regard for cleanliness and order, and can seemingly go overboard with the extra preventative measures taken to avoid an unpleasant stimulus. 

The thought of hoarding simply escapes us as we make assumptions about their lifestyle choices or seemingly impoverished economic situation. Indeed, OCD just doesn't seem to fit the individual who collects needless objects, animals, or avoids the weekly visit from the garbage truck. Or does it? If we examine the motivating factors which underlie hoarding behaviors, we can fully understand the situation and help them.

Hoarding poses many prominent health problems to the individual (especially in the case of animal hoarding) and further impedes prognosis because the behaviors are rarely addressed in a visit to the doctor. Hoarding also creates numerous obstacles to firefighters, animal control professionals, and could prevent emergency medical personnel from reaching those living in tight quarters from receiving much needed medical assistance. While hoarding is considered an OCD problem, there are certain and rather unique self-regulation problems stretching beyond the couch of psychoanalysis.

This is a chronic dysfunction that propels an individual towards maladaptive coping strategies and compulsive behaviors. Certain individuals carry a type of genetic predisposition to hoarding, yet do not present compulsive behavior until an emotionally-charged event such as a life stressor (I.e. bereavement) or traumatic event occurs. For instance, the cognitive processes manage to create this fixation which ultimately distorts normal drives and motivation once intact to prevent such behaviors from coming to fruition.

One theory about hoarding behavior indicates that the individual suffers from a skewed sense of fulfillment of important psychological needs (I.e. autonomy, competence, relatedness) which carries over into a need to be surrounded by objects to feel secure.

These behavioral patterns of collecting unnecessary items can consume the daily life of this individual. Eventually, the rumination on and exhaustive efforts at gathering such items can become debilitating and keep them from living productive lives. Socially they become withdrawn from others for fear of being rejected or criticized and this becomes a motivational factor in locking others out while becoming over-protective of their behaviors.

So what motivates an individual to look around and feel completely safe while smothered by acquired objects? The intrinsic and extrinsic (internal or external) reasons behind hoarding can be linked to the immediate gratification experienced by obtaining new objects and viewing the accumulation from a materialistic point of view. The individual feels empowered by having control over needless items in their possession where power or control over their economic situation or personal controls may be lacking.

In a nutshell, the hoarder is not only protective of their collected items, but the secret life that secures the ability to keep the behaviors going (like a full-blown addiction) and the satisfaction felt by the process.After all, it appears easier to avoid other humans altogether than to alter personality traits in the comfort zone.

For More Information on Hoarding, Please Visit:

The Mayo Clinic at http://www.mayoclinic.com

Obsessive Compulsive Foundation at http://www.ocfoundation.org

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) at: http://www.nami.org

Disaster Masters for Disposiphobia at: http://www.disposophobia.com or 1(800)THE-PLAN 1(800)THE-PLAN