Generality
The disposophobia is a disorder characterized by the tendency to accumulate a large quantity of objects, of every shape and nature, regardless of their value.
The need to acquire - without using or throw away - these goods translates into the extreme disorder and limitation of essential activities of daily life, such as rest, nutrition, body hygiene and cleanliness of spaces.
In fact, those suffering from disposophobia are forced to accumulate without brakes, even when the conservation of objects prevents and / or significantly reduces the physical possibility of moving around the house. In association with this accumulation compulsion, a complementary fear is determined to throw away one's own collections.
Often, at the origin of disposophobia is an emotional trauma, such as the loss of a loved one, a disappointment in love or the divorce of parents during childhood. This creates a deficiency that the compulsive accumulator will attempt to fill through the "collections" of objects.
Disposophobia is a very complex disorder, but can be tackled with cognitive behavioral therapy.
Synonyms
Disposophobia is also known as: compulsive accumulation disorder ; serial pathological accumulation and syllogomania .
What's this?
Those who suffer from disposophobia tend to conserve and accumulate in a compulsive and dysfunctional way a considerable amount of useless, useless and meaningless objects (such as, for example, old magazines and newspapers, trash, restaurant napkins, cigarette packets empty, clothes, food packaging, etc.). The typical thought of the serial accumulator is the fear of throwing away something that "someday could serve" .
This type of behavior assumes pathological characteristics: in this case, the disorder cannot be considered a character aspect, but the manifestation of a specific disorder.
The compulsive accumulator does not realize the excess in which it incurs (unlike patients with control disorders, who are usually critical of their rituals), as it is firmly convinced that the articles collected are useful, irreplaceable or can have a value in the future.
Moreover, these patients do not have particular obsessive thoughts, but they are terribly upset when they are asked to throw something away. It is usually family members who no longer tolerate the intrusiveness of these "collections" and request therapeutic treatment.
Difference between compulsive accumulator and collector
The main difference between disposophobia and the hobby of collecting is the notion of space. In the first case, that is in the presence of the pathology, the accumulated objects clutter everything and the serial accumulator no longer has space for itself.
Moreover, a collector is proud of his collection, while, in the case of compulsive accumulation, a feeling of virginity prevails rather. The subject suffering from disposophobia, in fact, avoids talking about his collections and tends to isolate himself in order not to be forced to reveal his problem to other people.
Causes and risk factors
It is not yet clear what exactly disposophobia causes, but it seems that genetics, brain biochemistry and stressful life events can promote its manifestations.
Accumulation disorder can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender or economic status.
Risk factors include:
- Age The disposophobia starts to manifest itself, usually around the age of 11-15 and tends to worsen with time. Younger children can start collecting items, such as broken toys, tempered pencil scraps and obsolete books. Disposophobia is more common, however, in the elderly than in younger adults.
- Personality . Many people with accumulation disorder have a shy temperament and are insecure.
- Family predisposition . If a family member has disposophobia, it is more likely to develop the disorder.
- Stressful events . Often, it is the affective component that triggers the process underlying disposophobia: some people develop the disease after experiencing a stressful life event, faced with difficulties, such as the death of a loved one, divorce, eviction or loss of assets in a fire. In the serial accumulator, having all these objects around you has a reassuring effect.
- Social isolation . People with accumulation disorder generally have limited social interactions or tend to isolate themselves. In fact, a paradoxical process is created: by accumulating, those suffering from disposophobia try to fill an affective deficiency, but at the same time distance themselves from others.
The tendency to accumulate can sometimes appear as a symptom of another psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorder .
In fact, there are many pathological conditions that can cause difficulties in organizing one's things . Compulsive accumulation is often associated with a personality disorder, but may also be related to obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), psychosis or dementia.
How widespread it is
Disposophobia is not a rare disorder, although, for cultural reasons and because of the shame that ensues, it is often hidden within the family circle.
Epidemiological studies supported in recent years suggest that its prevalence affects about 2-5% of the general population.
Symptoms and behaviors
The manifestations associated with disposophobia are variable, from mild to severe: in some cases, this disorder may not have a great impact on the lives of those suffering from it, while at other times it creates serious impediments to managing their daily activities.
The main characteristic of disposophobia is the acquisition of a large number of assets associated with the failure to get rid of them, although these objects are apparently useless or of limited value. The accumulation is associated, in fact, with immediate pleasure and a sense of relief .
Over time, the living spaces are cluttered to the point of precluding the activities for which they were initially designed; in various cases, cramped, dangerous or unhealthy living conditions are created, in which the houses are filled to the full with their capacity and the mobility within them is allowed only by narrow and winding streets, through stacks of objects in extreme disorder .
In the everyday life of the person suffering from disposophobia, this leads to significant discomfort and impairment of normal functioning due to accumulation. At the same time, the serial accumulator experiences fear at the thought of getting rid of the collected elements, as they are considered useful.
An additional element that must be considered in the diagnosis is the fact that the patient is also suffering from " excessive hoarding" . In this case the patient (in addition to the accumulation, therefore not to the elimination of things of which he already possesses) is afflicted by a compulsion to acquire (paying or obtaining for free) things that he does not need or for which he does not objectively space.
How to recognize it
The disorder and the difficulty of eliminating objects are the first signs of disposophobia.
In the homes of people who suffer from serial storage disturbance, objects are stacked on practically all surfaces (sinks, chairs, desks, stairs, etc.). Once the space inside is exhausted, the disorder can spread to the garage, to the vehicles and to the courtyard. Clearly, the cluttered spaces from the "collections" of objects make some areas of the house unusable for the intended purposes (for example: you might not be able to cook or go to the bathroom to take a shower). There are cases, then, in which food or garbage accumulates at unhealthy levels.
The serial accumulator also manifests an excessive attachment to its assets, evident due to the inconvenience of letting others touch objects or borrow something. Typically, there is also a difficulty in organizing things and, instead of throwing them, they are moved from one pile to another.
The accumulation can also be correlated to the compulsive purchase (for the idea of not losing a deal) and to the search for a series of specific objects (such as the collection of flyers or other free items). In some cases, then, disposophobia can also lead to kleptomaniacs or thieves.
Accumulation disorder can lead to strong isolation, which can lead to severe depression . When all the space is occupied, the risk of unhealthiness is also established. Moreover, accumulating so many things, sometimes defective, there is the danger of fire.
Some people also tend to collect dozens or even hundreds of pets, many more than they can maintain under proper conditions. This can put your own and animal's health and safety at risk.
Possible complications
Disposophobia can cause a number of complications, including:
- Unhealthy housing conditions;
- Inability to perform daily activities, such as bathing or cooking;
- Increased risk of injury and trauma by moving objects or causing them to fall;
- Fire hazard;
- Family conflicts;
- Solitude and social isolation;
- Financial and legal problems, including eviction.
Diagnostic framework
When it is suspected, in a family member or in oneself, that the disorder is "pathological", it is always good to turn to a specialist with a specific competence on the disorder, for a thorough psychological evaluation.
Disposophobia is a disorder that falls under the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (DSM-5), which attributes the role of its main indicator to accumulation behavior, together with the effects that this problem produces, including:
- Fill the house with a large number of useless or of little value;
- Inability to separate from one's property and discard it;
- Overall dimensions of the house to prevent its use;
- Inability to return borrowed items.
Disposophobia seems to be more common in people with psychological disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression or anxiety disorder. However, the condition is usually not due to another medical condition, such as a brain injury.
Possible therapeutic approaches
The treatment of accumulation disorder is very complex, especially due to the fact that it involves a large part of work at the patient's home. Furthermore, many people do not recognize the negative impact of this problem on their lives or do not believe they need care.
The two main interventions for the management of disposophobia are psychotherapy and drug treatment .
- Cognitive behavioral therapy is the most common form of psychotherapy used to help patients overcome illness. In the therapeutic path, it is necessary to intervene on the correction of the poor organization skills of one's own assets, to help the patient decide which ones to discard. Furthermore, with the help of the specialist, it is important to understand the reason why one feels compelled to accumulate.
- With regard to drugs, there has been some success in reducing negative symptoms with the intake of antidepressants serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) .
