Is excessive shopping and accumulation of items on Singles Day a "mental illness"? Research: It may be related to "this trauma" suffered in childhood
Are ADHD patients prone to hoarding behavior? Research: More obvious than normal people
Today coincides with the “111.11.11” Singles’ Day, which happens once in a thousand years. Many e-commerce companies are already gearing up and waiting for the huge business opportunities brought by Singles’ Day. However, many people ignore their own needs and engage in “storm shopping”, and even achieve “stress relief” through crazy shopping and stacking items. In fact, a one-time shopping spree may cause the accumulated anxiety to increase rather than decrease, forming a vicious cycle. If you have a history of mental illness in the past, it is more likely to worsen diseases such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, hoarding disorder, anxiety disorder, etc.
A study in the Journal of Psychiatric Research revealed that hoarding and impulsive shopping behaviors are not only related to symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, but also that patients who suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in childhood are more likely to develop symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The behavior of hoarding things can even seriously affect daily life.
Hoarding, like other mental illnesses, can cause difficulties in daily activities and lead to feelings of anxiety and depression. Previous research on hoarding disorder has focused on older women, but Anglia Ruskin University in the UK focused on people with ADHD. The team recruited 88 subjects for a sample survey, asking them about symptom severity, perfectionism episodes, depression and anxiety assessment, daily functional performance and other items.
19% of the 88 subjects showed clinically significant hoarding symptoms. The average age was around 30 years old, and the proportion of men and women was equal, with no significant gender difference. The remaining 81% of subjects showed more serious hoarding behavior than the average person, but it did not seriously damage their lives.
The research team also evaluated the hoarding behavior of 90 ordinary adults. The results showed that only 2% of the ordinary adults showed clinically defined hoarding disorder. In addition, a sample evaluation of 220 online samples also showed that only 3% of ordinary adults have obvious hoarding behavior. The significant difference in proportions may point to a correlation between hoarding disorder and ADHD.
Hoarding and shopping to satisfy a sense of healing may lead to a vicious cycle of anxiety and depression
Sharon Morein-Zamir, the lead author of the study, said that a review of the literature found that people who suffered from ADHD in childhood were more likely to develop depression as adults than ordinary people. In order to resolve their unpleasant emotions, they are more likely to rely on a large amount of shopping and hoarding to obtain a “sense of healing”, which in turn affects their quality of life and makes it more difficult to treat depression.
“Hoarding behavior should be included in routine assessments because these behaviors are damaging to patients’ lives, but they are often not good at expressing their difficulties.” Morein-Zamir believes that hoarding behavior will change over time. Therefore, when clinically evaluating the symptoms of hoarding disorder, its correlation with ADHD should be taken into consideration to help treat and improve the overall condition.
Morein-Zamir called for appropriate psychological counseling and treatment to be necessary whenever items pile up, seriously affecting spatial circulation, and causing great psychological pressure. In addition, hoarding disorder may also be closely related to the family of origin and personal habits. It is recommended that relatives and friends around you pay appropriate attention and remind them, and try to replace scolding with encouragement to help them return to normal life as soon as possible.
Source:
ADHD linked to hoarding behavior - new study
Elevated levels of hoarding in ADHD: A special link with inattention
Further reading:
Not as good as “Freak”? People with obsessive-compulsive disorder may be more susceptible to stroke
