Steps to spot the signs of hoarding

Mind & Mood

Let's start with a little story: When Ann turned 66 last year, she began stockpiling plastic food containers. This initially made sense to her husband, since there never seemed to be a container available to store dinner leftovers. A year later, however, containers are spilling out of cabinets and closets and piling up in the laundry room. In addition to containers, Ann has started a collection of paper bags. And Ann's husband is concerned she might have a condition called hoarding disorder. He could be right.

Hoarding disorder is a mental health condition characterized by an inability to discard certain belongings to the point of unhealthy accumulation.

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Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter

Anthony L. Komaroff, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Letter

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