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Hoarding is a problem which causes a person to buy or otherwise attain large quantities of an object or objects that have little or no value. The hoarder feels anxiety when he thinks about getting rid of these objects. There are several possible causes of hoarding. Hoarding is currently considered to be a subtype of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Between 20 and 30 percent of people with OCD also show signs of compulsive hoarding. Other mental illnesses associated with hoarding include anxiety disorders, psychosis, bipolar disorder and depression. Different types of dementia such as Alzheimer's and frontotemporal dementia are sometimes associated with hoarding. People who have a close family member who is a hoarder are more likely to become hoarders themselves, leading psychologists to theorize a genetic link for compulsive hoarding. Stress seems to trigger episodes of hoarding in some people. A woman who has lost all of her possessions in a fire, for instance, may become obsessive about holding onto future possessions. Some people have personality traits that make them more likely to hoard. Perfectionists, for instance, may worry obsessively about throwing out a piece of paper they might one day need, and people with impulse control problems might be unable to stop themselves from buying unneeded objects. Since most hoarders don't ask for help, it is difficult to know how many compulsive hoarders there are in the population. Best guess statistics place the numbers anywhere from 700,000 people to two million people.Mental Illness
Organic Brain Disorders
Genetics
Stressful Life Events
Personality Traits
Significance
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