“Hoarding can never end, for the heart of man always covets for more, its raging appetites can only be quenched by the heavy sands of the grave.” ― Bangambiki .
H O A R D I N G — A M E N T A L I L L N E S S ?
Wednesday’s Challenge on partner Susan and my alternate site was “enough”.
The majority of people know when they have had enough: frustration, sadness, abuse and just about any other topic that crosses the mental state of people. A psychological tipping point is met and the aggrieved party knows that it is time to change their circumstances. They have had enough and want change.
But on the other end of the spectrum is the hoarder who try as he or she might can never have enough of the things they are storing : toilet paper, junk, supposed items of interest that somehow mange to not only capture their immediate attention but also causes shame and hardship on their significant others.
People with hoarding disorder have persistent difficulty getting rid of or parting with possessions due to a perceived need to save the items. Attempts to part with possessions create considerable distress and lead to decisions to save them.
Outside the home hoarders appear to be as sane and rational as the rest of us. Inside their often overly cramped residences all manner of items manage to reduce the living space and over time creates life threatening conditions.
“Waste not want not ” at times is the hoarder’s personal motto.
According to recent psychological literature hoarding can be related to difficult experiences and painful feelings which hoarders may find hard to express, face or resolve. Some people say hoarding helps them cope with other mental health problems, or distracts them from feeling very anxious, upset or afraid.
One of the most common causes of hoarding is PTSD, “Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it.
Does hoarding get worse with age? Research has indicated that hoarding, a relatively common disorder among the elderly gets progressively worse as a person gets older.
THE MAIN AISLE (c) 2023 
I have a hoarder next door … “more is not enough”
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They are out there and on the prowl for more stuff to hoard.
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Sadly that’s so true …
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One retired man I heard about has accumulated so much junk in his house the living space compromised to the point that his wife tripped and broke some toes on her left foot. Unfortunately she silently suffers his affliction.
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That must be dreadful for you, Ivor. It’s everyone’s nightmare; no one wants to live next door to a hoarder, especially if it spills out into the garden on view for all to see.
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Only this week I watched a TV show featuring a grandmother whose house was so full that she was unable to sleep in her bed. Her family never visited because there was no where to sit.
The TV presenter and her team removed all the possessions and laid them out on a warehouse floor where she had to choose which ones to keep and which to send to charity.
The woman appeared more surprised to find she owned seventeen umbrellas than anything else and insisted that she could not remember buying them.
I couldn’t help thinking that her family could have done more to help before it got to this stage.
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I have two friends who are hoarders. It has proved impossible to help them. Just can’t visit their houses. There’re specialist who can help.
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If only those afflicted would ask for help.So sad isn’t it?
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There are two parties here the afflicted and the effected.
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Families at time turn a blind eye to these people and label them eccentric.
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I hope all hoarders find calm from this disorder. They deserve it.
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Lovely sentiment. Pretty sad affliction.
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A majoroty of hoarders do not recognize the fact they have a problem.
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Lovely sentiment. Pretty sad affliction.
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A very sad affliction that requires professional intervention.
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