Collectors of Garbage- Hoarding Part

Hoarding is the repetitive compilation of excessive amounts of impractical items which are of little or no value. The hoarder never discards any items. The exact cause of hoarding remains a puzzle but has been linked to disturbances in emotional and obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD).

While most people collect inanimate objects, there are some hoarders who also collect animals like dogs and pets; and simply let the filth pile up.

Even though hoarding has been observed for centuries, detailed research on the topic was not done until the 90s. Hoarding is also seen in a variety of mental health disorders like schizophrenia, dementia and some eating disorders.

The vast majority of normal people who hoard items have obsessive compulsive disorder. Of course, not all patients with OCD exhibit hoarding but research indicates that at least 25% of these adults with OCD exhibit some degree of hoarding practices. Hoarding is twice as more common in males than in females.