With what we do here at Bingham, we come across all kinds of people who wish to store all kinds of items. For many of us, decluttering is an important part of maintaining our homes and family life, for which self-storage is an excellent solution. But of course, there is another side to this, which many people are aware of, although they may not understand the extent of its prevalence.
I’m talking about hoarding, or Compulsive Hoarding Disorder. In recent years TV shows, such as Hoarders in the US and Britain’s Biggest Hoarders in the UK, has brought the attention of millions to the once little known disorder of hoarding. When these types of shows first hit our screens, most of us saw them as a source of entertainment and watched on in shock and disbelief, quite unable to grasp the idea that this was real.
For the many of people that suffer from compulsive hoarding, and indeed their families, the struggle is very real. Hoarding is now a recognised psychiatric disorder included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and is estimated to affect around 2% of the population.
Types of hoarders range from food hoarders and shopaholics to book hoarders and animal hoarders. Each type comes with its own devastating consequences, affecting the mental, physical and sometimes financial wellbeing of the sufferer and their family. Of course, for those who know a hoarder, it can be incredibly difficult to support and sympathise with them which often leads to broken friendships and families.
The reasons for why people hoard are not completely clear-cut. Usually, it is thought that collecting these items throughout the years gives the hoarder a sense of security and control – which has often been an important aspect in the treatment of hoarding.
Truth be told, most of us at some time or another display hoarding behaviour; whether it’s a completely worthless item that holds sentimental value, or a collection from our childhoods that could disappear and we wouldn’t notice. We created the following infographic to look at some of the facts and figures of hoarding and the effects it has on those that suffer from it.
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<p><img src=”http://i.imgur.com/3r5pvLQ.png’ alt=’Hoarding Facts’ width=”645″ /></p> <p>All About Hoarding – An infographic by the team at <a href=”https://www.binghamselfstorage.co.uk/”>Bingham Self Storage</a></p>
If you or someone you know needs help or support with compulsive hoarding, please check out the Counselling Directory.
