Our Myth Busters series continues with a look at hoarding, which is one of the most misunderstood mental illnesses.

MYTH 1: Hoarding is just a result of disorganization or lack of cleaning. It is not a serious problem.

Hoarding does not come from being disorganized or unclean, but rather by the emotional significance a person puts on the objects they hoard. When left uncontrolled, hoarding disorder can seriously affect a person’s well-being—their physical health, social relationships, safety, and/or financial situation. If the person’s home is filled to the brim with objects, it can lead to a fire hazard or infestation of bugs. Hoarding should be taken seriously, and that starts by learning about hoarding and trying to understand what a person who hoards experiences.

MYTH 2: Throwing away a person’s hoarded belongings will rid them of their hoarding problem.

Although eventual decluttering of a person’s hoarded environment will be something they might tackle when they are ready, throwing out their accumulated belongings before they are ready to do so can do more harm than good. There are various treatment routes to help individuals who experience hoarding, with a popular option being cognitive-behavioural therapy using exposure and response prevention. One of the best things a person can do for their loved one living with hoarding disorder is to make sure you are there for them and love them unconditionally.

MYTH 3: Hoarding is the same as collecting

It is a mistake to think that hoarding is similar to collecting. While a collector chooses their objects for their collection, they are able to organize what they keep and discard what they do not want to keep, whereas someone who hoards has difficulty parting with the items they keep, which can result in a cramped and unpleasant living space. Many people living with hoarding wish they could get rid of the objects they hoard, but the emotional attachments make it difficult. A collector derives pleasure from their collection. A person who hoards may feel distressed by the accumulation of items in their home.

MYTH 4: Hoarding is caused by experiencing significant loss

Although someone can develop hoarding behaviours after the loss of a loved one, it is not necessarily the reason behind this development. People who hoard may or may not associate their hoarding with feelings of loss, while others might be triggered to hoard more objects related to the person they have lost. More studies need to be done to understand the relationship between loss and hoarding, but we cannot say there is a definite causation.

MYTH 5: Hoarding is only seen in adults

Most of the time when we think about hoarding we think about adults, but it can also affect children. According to Anxiety Canada, about 2-6% of children and adults experience hoarding disorder, with late childhood and early teens being the average age of onset.

MYTH 6: Hoarders know they are hoarding because they see it in their environment

It’s not as simple as that. Some people are aware that they are hoarding, and the excessive possessions in their home can cause further distress like anxiety and depression. Others might not feel like they are hoarding because they have an exaggerated idea of the importance and usefulness of the objects they keep. Hoarding is not a simple black and white scenario.

MYTH 7: Someone who hoards is automatically a compulsive hoarder

There are different types of hoarding: adaptive and maladaptive/compulsive hoarding. The former is when an individual keeps their excess possessions because they know or think they will have a use for it in the future, for example picking up a lot of free items because they believe they will have a use for them later. The latter is when the original intent (example, saving for future uses) is no longer followed and the person hoards objects with no use or end date on them.

MYTH 8: Hoarding is a type of OCD

Hoarding has been classified as its own disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DSM-5) since 2013.

Visit amiquebec.org/hoarding for help and support, and consider attending our Hoarding support group (for family, friends, and people dealing with hoarding challenges): amiquebec.org/support.

–Gabrielle Lesage
From Share&Care Winter 2026
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