Evaluate your risk of hoarding disorder with a validated screening test.
Compulsive hoarding AKA hoarding disorder is a pattern of excessive acquisition of and an unwillingness to discard large volumes of items that cover the living areas of the home and cause significant distress and impairment.
Hoarding is not necessarily collecting - collectors often search specific items with high subjective value with a common theme and organize them meticulously. Hoarders often keep items with no true meaning and are disorganized.
The [DSM-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSM-5) diagnostic criteria for hoarding disorder are:
Persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of the value others may attribute to these possessions.
This difficulty is due to strong urges to save items and/or distress associated with discarding.
The symptoms result in the accumulation of a large number of possessions that fill up and clutter active living areas of the home or workplace to the extent that their intended use is no longer possible. If all living areas become decluttered, it is only because of the [interventions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intervention_(counseling)) of third parties (e.g., family members, cleaners, authorities).
The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning (including maintaining a safe environment for self and others).
The hoarding symptoms are not due to a general medical condition (e.g., brain injury, cerebrovascular disease).
The hoarding symptoms are not restricted to the symptoms of another mental disorder
Disclaimer: This test is NOT a diagnostic test. A diagnosis can only be provided by a qualified healthcare professional. Please consult a physician or mental health professional if you are concerned about your mental health.
Frost, R. O., Steketee, G., & Grisham, J. (2004). Measurement of compulsive hoarding: saving inventory-revised. Behaviour research and therapy, 42(10), 1163-1182.