You may think hoarding is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) if you’ve never dealt with it before. But there is a lot more to it than that.

Hoarding Disorder is a common condition. People of all ages and lifestyles can be diagnosed with it. An estimated 2-5% of the population suffers from hoarding disorder.

Experts believe this number may actually be much higher. Many hoarders live in isolation since they do not want to talk about their struggles with loved ones or health care providers. Being shut off from the world means many cases probably go unreported.

Hoarders tend to suffer from other forms of mental illness, like OCD. But are they the same?

We address questions like yours during every hoarding cleaning service that we provide.

Compulsive hoarding is not considered to be a form of OCD and is instead its own separate, distinct condition.

While the symptoms are similar in some ways, there are marked differences between the two.

While compulsive hoarding can often be a manifestation of an underlying mental health issue like depression or anxiety, it doesn’t always have such a cause.

In contrast with this, people with OCD may be unable to resist their obsessive thoughts or impulses without experiencing extreme distress. As an attempt to soothe their intrusive thoughts, some people with OCD do turn to hoarding. But they are not the same thing.

Hoarding disorder is characterized by an excessive attachment to one’s possessions, as well as an inability to organize or discard those items.

It can be triggered by OCD, but it should be treated as its own unique mental health issue.