Symptoms of Hoarding

Some symptoms of hoarding are when a person collects and keeps a lot of items, even things that appear useless or of little value to most people; when the items clutter the living spaces and keep the person from using the rooms as they were intended; and when a person is distressed with discarding the items.

Another sign is when the item causes distress or problems in day-to-day activities. Graciela Jimenez, Psychotherapist with Care and Counseling at Baptist Health South Florida, says the key is the distress that somebody suffers from when they do not want to let go an item, and they get angry and frustrated. Then you see there is more of an attachment to the particular item.