hey everybody today we're gonna talk
about hoarding what is it and why do
people do it but if you're new to my
channel make sure you're subscribed and
have those notifications turned on
because I put out videos on Mondays and
on Thursdays and I don't want you to
miss out but let's jump into this very
interesting topic much of what we see
and hear about hoarding on TV or in
other media can be shocking and many
people can quickly pass judgment the
scenes of clutter and garbage piled so
high that the house is barely habitable
can cause us to feel you know a little
bit of disgust or maybe even pity and
think that someone must be crazy lazy or
just plain dirty from the outside it's
easy to judge but we're here to try to
understand what it is what can cause
hoarding and how we can overcome it in
2013 the dsm-5 added in hoarding
disorder which used to be thought of as
part of OCD now people with hoarding
disorder have a conscious ongoing urge
to accumulate possessions as well as
corresponding feelings of anxiety or
mental anguish whenever those
possessions get thrown away and this is
why we cannot try to help them get rid
of anything they find it completely and
totally upsetting now the diagnostic
criteria for hoarding disorder is as
follows
number one they have a persistent
difficulty discarding or parting with
possessions regardless of the value
others may attribute to these
possessions so just because we don't
think it's worth anything doesn't mean
that they don't find it extremely
valuable number two this difficulty that
we're talking about is due to strong
urges to save items and/or distress
associated with discarding so it's
because it feels so uncomfortable and
distressful for them if they're asked to
get rid of something and number three
the symptoms result in the accumulation
of a large number of possessions that
fill up and clutter active living areas
of the home or work place to the extent
that their intended use is no longer
possible so whatever that item used to
do for them let's say it's a toaster you
can't use it anymore because it's
covered with other toasters potentially
and if all living areas become
decluttered it's only because of the
interventions of third parties meaning
family member
cleaners authorities etc while some
people affected by the disorder
accumulate valuable items most of the
people who are affected accumulate
things with limited or no real-world
value such as books old magazines
newspapers or even self-made notes
outdated clothing or old mail
the hoarding also has to impair our
ability to function in our work school
or social life so in many cases the
hoarding can create fire hazards cause
financial issues or even make it
impossible for someone to keep up with
their personal hygiene I mean if your
tub is filled with old newspapers maybe
old mail you can't really properly
utilize it when asked why they keep the
items that they do many hoarders will
feel that each item could be needed in
the future or that it has some
sentimental value to them that others
just don't understand they can even
struggle to get rid of other people's
things like if a friend is moving and
wants them to help them go through
things they'll keep everything that
they're wanting to give away because
they feel that they might need to use it
later they may also feel safer with
their items around them and some have
even reported that they struggle to
leave their home as to why they feel
hoarding disorder or HD needs its own
diagnosis research has shown that those
with OCD have a different genetic makeup
than those with HD also those with HD
tend to be oblivious to its effects on
those around them and are more likely to
have other co-occurring mental health
issues like depression anxiety or
personality disorders and those with OCD
who also show some signs of hoarding do
not feel any attachment to their
possessions and are completely disturbed
by their urge to continue to keep things
they can be really upset at the filth
and clutter in their house even though
they feel the urge to keep doing it so
it's the complete opposite of someone
with HD they are able to live in a very
dirty place then are completely unfazed
by it
and finally the treatment that tends to
work best for OCD which is CBT SSRIs
SNRIs does not help someone with HD and
the reason that CBT doesn't work is
because those with HD are not bothered
by their disorder therefore they aren't
able to come up with any different
to make it better because I don't really
think that it's that bad so I would
guess that it's possibly more closely
linked to OSI PD versus OCD do you
remember OCPD
obsessive-compulsive personality
disorder it's ego-syntonic we need it
doesn't bug us
it feels true to who we are and what we
think about ourselves and on the other
hand there's ego-dystonic meaning it
goes against who we feel we are and it
bothers us so hoarding disorder is more
ego-syntonic doesn't really bother us
but hoarding as part of our OCD is
ego-dystonic we don't like it and we
wish we could stop research also shows
that trauma could cause HD because those
of us who have been abused in any way
sexually assaulted or even emotionally
neglected could continue with hoarding
as a way to ignore the past trauma what
I mean by that is that if the trauma is
too overwhelming to deal with we will
create another quote-unquote problem
that's easier to focus on so it's really
just another unhealthy coping skill
and/or distraction from our real issue
this is why I love research so much it
gives us the ability to understand
issues that we may not personally
struggle with and people with hoarding
disorder overall their brain works
differently and therefore they may have
a really difficult time getting rid of
any items now let's get into the
exciting component treatment because it
can get better so if we worry that we or
someone we know it has hoarding disorder
what can we do because we know that CBT
and SSRIs rsn our eyes don't really work
and much of what I read still focused on
CBT so what I'm offering to you now is
based on what we know could cause it and
the treatments that I know can help
those things does that make sense
because when I was reading all the
research I was really disappointed that
even though they said CBT hasn't been
shown to be effective there were no
other options listed but if we know it
kind of comes out of trauma or emotional
neglect we do have treatment options
that can really really help in the first
and most obvious is trauma therapy
this could mean talk based therapy you
know talking through the trauma in
detail until it's no longer upsetting
and your brain has been given the time
needed to process through it remember
and roll it away like those marbles and
inside out and if you wonder what I mean
by the term process you can click the
link in
the description for my video all about
it the next option is EMDR which stands
for eye movement desensitization and
reprocessing which must be done
obviously with a licensed professional
and someone who specializes in it but
it's when our eyes go back and forth
kind of simulating our REM sleep which
gives our brain more of an opportunity
to process through something so while
the EMDR therapist has us doing that
bilateral stimulation they call it we
talked about the trauma or the
disturbing thing that happened and give
our brain another chance to file it away
comfortably if you want more information
about that you can click link in the
description I have a video on that too
and the next option is attachment based
therapy which focuses on understanding
what type of attachment we have and
using the therapeutic relationship to
create a more healthy style in a way
we're challenging the falsely held
beliefs that were created by our
upbringing and we're replacing them with
healthier ones in all honesty once we
figure out what causes our hoarding
could be the death of a spouse or parent
loss of a job or home could be another
trauma in our past whatever it may be
then and only then can we try to heal
from it so that our desire to hoard will
eventually go away this video has been
brought to you by the Kenyans on patreon
if you would like to support the
creation of these mental health videos
click the link the description and check
it out I hope that that better helps you
understand hoarding disorder there is so
much misinformation out there and it's
important that we all seek to understand
instead of judge but as always is there
anything that I left out or something
else that you want to mention please let
me know in those comments down below
because with your experience and my
expertise we will keep working towards a
healthy mind and a healthy body and I
will see you next time bye