What causes people to become extreme hoarders of useless items?

[MissSunshine2]

[indissoluble]

People that grow up poor and never have enough when they were kids, often become hoarders when they grow up. Trauma of having not enough food to eat and relying on school lunch, food stamps, the charity pantry to eat, hand me down clothing that is falling apart and having to go to salvation army to get a new out fit, parents that shove items in stores into your clothing as a little kid to shop lift what the family needs, go through hard times like the Great Depression or Communism when there wasn't even enough on the store shelves even if you had the money to buy it causes trauma. It creates an attachment to stuff. You never throw anything away because you might need it some day. If you have the money/opportunity to get extra food you stock pile it so you don't run out. When you get new clothing you keep your old clothing just in case. Those who go without for long enough, fear going without again so they hoard everything they can.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

When it's extreme, as in pathological, which means pain, then it is compulsion, obsession. Compulsions are associated with coping mechanisms. Something that makes people feeling in control of anguish they experience. That's the generic idea of it.

Beyond this generic notion, you'll find causes explained by psychiatry or psychology, or both when, and if, they agree with each other?

[Tamera952]

Mental illness, first and foremost! I say this with personal experience dealing with a hoarder. It’s totally baffling and very difficult and frustrating to deal with. They are very unhealthy in their obsessions, and compulsions to acquire. They’re so hung up on their ‘stuff’ …. which they claim and act like is valuable, but if that were true, then they would have a place for it, and be able to locate it. Once that item they bring in crosses the threshold, they will never see it again, access it, use it, or whatever—it just gets subsumed into the abyss, added to the pile of shit. It’s the weirdest thing to see up close in real life, because I’m the total opposite. I can definitely throw stuff away! I’m a ‘when in doubt, fu*king toss it out’ kinda person.

[sage2021]

Well, after I lost everything I owned back in 2011 and had to start from scratch with EVERYTHING I was okay buy the necessities.

But when my caregiver stole almost all of my belongings TWICE, I couldn't stand looking at an empty apartment and I needed to start all over again.

I've probably over extended myself just to have stuff around me but I am not a hoarder. Everything is neat and tidy.

[sage2021]

Thank you for the MHO 🙂🧡

[FunkyMonkee]

I wish I knew! My aunt was one and now I'm stuck having to go through TONS of this shit she hung onto for decades!! I completely understand saving stuff that at least MIGHT have SOME use in the future but, straws? Those little plastic baskets tomatoes and strawberries come in? Junk mail?
I also had an uncle that was a conservationist long before it became cool in the early `70's. If he went to the store and bought stuff, he'd save the receipt to be re-used as a piece of note paper or even a shopping list for the next time he went to the store! But, he took it too far in other ways!! He had a sign in his bathroom that said, "If it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down!" In other words, if you pee, don't flush and the next person that takes a shit into that will flush! And, he wouldn't allow showers, you could only take a bath and once you were done, you left the water in the tub for the next person to use! He was big into saving on water!

[FreyaRed]

They are afraid of lose anything and don't want to remove it from their space, even if it's trash. Messy syndrome or Hoarding disorder is often connected with OCD

[DryGermanGuy]

It’s an addiction illness, like people addicted to washing their hands 50 times a day. Their Nucleus Accumbens rewards them with dopamine every time they find something new and drag it home.

[CriminallyInsane]

Usually they lost something significant, like a lady in my neighborhood had a miscarriage and never wanted to lose anything ever again so she became an extreme hoarder.

[Iron_Man]

Because I think once it’s in your possession and if you give it away, you start feeling guilty like you’ve lost something and one day you might need it again so you kind of put it in a collection

[Ariesman81Nshiiit]

I think it's a lot of parenting.

Aunt has it BAD. Growing up Grandma instilled saving and reusing as much as possible. Whether that became a trauma is unknown. But I'd imagine it didn't help.

[exitseven]

in a lot of cases it is a form of mental illness related to OCD. Some people just cannot help themselves.

[menina]

I suppose they do it out of compulsion or mental illness.

I doubt someone would do this if they were okay.

[fish5505_87]

My wife is becoming that way, I am looking for answers, lol!

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

If that hoarding becomes concerning, I suggest to hear about what your wife's anxiety levels want to say, that's a start.
If it's just casual, well, it might be just comforting to her to possess items.

In any case, she certainly has an idea to share about what's going on.

[RavVid]

I was taught to hoard by my father. But he had a farm and sheds whilst I have an apartment so I had to give it up.

I only occasionally check building rubbish skips nowadays.

[AngryCarl3]

That's a very good question. Unfortunately I don't have a good answer for you.

If I had to guess I'd say it's due to unresolved childhood trauma.

[Kelly6]

@MissSunshine2 Stress anxiety

[strateguy632]

Because they consider the items useful.

[In_Trance]

The illusion of lack and a scarcity mindset

[Bklynbadboy12]

Thats a good question

[Marissa4]

Probably gotta have it can’t throw it away.

[Sweetdreams1950]

I think it’s a psychological issue.

[Anonymous]

Probably boredom.

[jahaims]

Mental illness