What’s Causing the Rise of Hoarding Disorder? - JSTOR Daily: “In families with two or more members who hoard, researchers have identified an allele on chromosome 14 (in Doberman Pinschers, hoarding’s been linked to chromosome 7). “More than 80 percent of our subjects reported a first-degree relative with similar problems,” note Randy Frost and Gail Steketee, pioneers in this research, in their book Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things. Hoarders might inherit different ways of processing information, they suggest, or “an intense perceptual sensitivity to visual details… [that] g ..read more

copingmecha: It has just finally occurred to me just how…un- normal growing up in a hoarding home is Like, I knew even then that we were different and found solace in the other families on tv showing their homes But it has always been my *normal* so I was *used* to it I was so accustomed to it as soon as I was put into this world. I knew it was a secret and my neighbor’s homes were better. But it was our way of life that we knew was wrong but couldn’t find a way out of. I’m realizing just how FEW people are open about it and how that further implicates our small community of hoarders/coh. Soc ..read more

ADHD and Hoarding Disorder: New Information - CHADD: “It is believed that many older hoarders have lived with undiagnosed ADHD since childhood,” says Sharon Morein-Zamir, PhD, lead researcher. “But if there is a link between hoarding disorder and ADHD, does it go both ways? Would people with ADHD also have problems with hoarding? This is important, as there are more people with diagnosed ADHD than hoarding disorder ..read more

Interesting research into hoarding. “Although hoarding has historically been conceptualized as a variant of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), increasing evidence suggests that hoarding might be more closely associated with the symptoms of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). “ “Recent self-report, neuroimaging, and neuropsychological data converge to suggest that impaired cognitive functions (particularly attention) might be a core feature of hoarding that contributes to decision-making problems.  ..read more

COH is still the best way to talk to other children of hoarders, I think. I don’t know any other groups, maybe there are Facebook groups though ..read more

Hi, myself and my two sisters are all in our 70’s now,but we remain traumatised by dealing with our Mum’s Hoarded house.We watch the TV programes in all their horrifying detail and are just so glad we don’t have that problem anymore! When we lived at home Mum worked full time and only shopped for clothes on her day off,she did not have much cash to spend which was fortunate,we girls did all the housework and kept the place tidy,there were signs there that she could be a hoarder. When we left home and Dad died the problems started, within a couple of years it became a hoard,she continued to wor ..read more

Sorry to hear that :( A lot of people are trapped in hoarder homes this year, my sister is stuck in my parent’s home and is trying to get her bedroom back (been full of my mom’s junk and unusable for years ..read more

Lack of privacy growing up, hoarder parent controls your belongings and your space. Being blamed for the hoard, being told you’re messy and it’s impossible to clean up after you. Living with rat/mice/insect infestations. Being unable to invite friends to your home. Being labeled “disorganised” in school reports. Lack of boundaries with your parent. Being fed expired food to not be “wasteful” or because it “seems fine” to the hoarder. Not having running water. Getting in trouble for not having the right books at school, not bringing your homework and other things because they got dis ..read more

I’m almost 18 years old and can’t wait to move out. My water heater hasn’t work for 3 years, and the heater and ac haven’t worked for 4 years. During most of my middle school life, the water didn’t work, so we couldn’t even flush a toilet. My mom never wants to clean, saying that she’s too tired from work, so nothing really ever gets done. I try to help out by doing laundry (which I have to do at my dads since my washer doesn’t work with cold water) and I’ve gotten to where I’m basically do her laundry. I try to wash dishes too but I have no room to put them since my mom always buys mugs and p ..read more

I’m fifteen years old, currently going into my sophomore year of high school, and both my parents are hoarders. My mom hoards at our house, and my dad hoards at the business he owns down the street. Bug infestations, holes in our walls and ceiling, mold, gout, fungus, expired food, rats, animal excrement, wires sticking out in various places, a raccoon even bit a hole through our garage door. I can’t believe I’ve spent my entire life living like this. I’ll throw things out, especially all the clothes and food, but my mom will dig through the garbage and find it again. My brother has started to ..read more