My mom has always saved everything - items she no longer needs, broken items, magazines, etc. For years, I thought it was a reaction to growing up in a really poor family. But now I notice my 34-year old sister displays similar behavior. She saves things she’ll never recycle or donate to charity, and she buys large quantities of household products and bulk food. I’m starting to wonder if she learned this from watching my mother or do they both have some mental disorder? 

The behavior you describe sounds like compulsive hoarding, which is one type of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Someone who hoards will frequently acquire items for which they have no use, and then have difficulty discarding the items.

It is often difficult to tell the difference between someone with a compulsive hoarding problem and someone who is a “pack rat” or likes to collect things. One major difference is that a hoarder usually has a strong emotional attachment to items that most people would consider useless. For instance, if you ask your sister if she could donate some of her old clothing to charity and she adamantly refuses, it is likely that she is hoarding these items. People who hoard tend to overvalue the importance of the items they acquire, and thus become overly attached to them. These individuals usually see the items as extensions of themselves and in extreme cases value the hoarded objects more than they do other people. Your sister may have learned this behavior from watching your mother, but it is likely at least partly due to biology as well.

As is true with most mental disorders, OCD is caused by a combination of biological and environmental factors. To determine if your sister and/or mother could be diagnosed with OCD, it is important to think about the impact these behaviors have on their functioning. For instance, does the amount of possessions take up so much space in the home that it interferes with activities of daily living such as eating, sleeping or relaxing? Does your sister or mother refuse to have people come to her home because of the amount of clutter? Do either your sister or mother spend a significant amount of time or money acquiring items they do not use? If you answered yes to any of these questions, it is likely this individual could be diagnosed with OCD.

If you believe your sister and/or mother may have this condition, the first step is talking to them to see if they believe the hoarding is a problem and if they would like to receive help. Often people who hoard do not acknowledge their hoarding as a problem, and thus refuse treatment. For those who would like treatment, the most effective treatment for OCD is a cognitive behavioral approach called exposure and response prevention. If your sister or mother refuses to get help and the problem is affecting your life, consider getting help for yourself from a therapist who can advise you how to deal effectively with your relatives. For more information about compulsive hoarding and other types of OCD, you can contact the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation’s website at www.ocfoundation.org or call them at 203-401-2070. 

Laura Chackes, Psy.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Anxiety Disorder Center
St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute
314-534-0200

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