Collection Mania: Problems With Getting Rid Of One’s Belongings

You have probably heard of extreme self-negligence, (formerly called Diogenes’ syndrome). People with this disorder are characterized by social isolation, they lock themselves inside their home, and neglect themselves. On the other hand, it has been shown that collecting mania can actually be confused with extreme self-negligence.

However, it is not the same. The main difference is that people with extreme self-negligence do more than accumulate useless elements. Garbage and rubbish also accumulate, and their self-neglect goes to the extreme.

A person with collecting mania has trouble  throwing away or getting rid of their belongings. The actual value of these assets does not matter. They can be objects of little economic or sentimental value.

Problems getting rid of things can be obvious in different situations, such as when trying to sell, throw away, give away or recycle them. The reason, they claim, lies behind the aesthetic value or usefulness of the objects. It can also be a sentimental attachment or a “what if” situation. Or “just in case”.

These people buy a new computer, but do not get rid of the old one, just in case the new one is destroyed. The next time they get a new one, they will still keep the previous models just in case the two new ones are destroyed. And so it goes…

Some people feel responsible for where their things end up. They often do everything they can  to avoid wasting.  In addition, those with collecting mania are often afraid of  losing important information.

How is collection mania diagnosed?

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) presents a set of diagnostic criteria for coping mania:

A.  Persistent problems getting rid of or giving away assets, regardless of their real value.

B.  This difficulty is due to  a perceived need to keep things,  and discomfort when they are thrown away.

C.  Problems getting rid of objects give way to collecting things, which fill up habitable space and greatly change the intended use. If the living areas are tidy, it is only due to external intervention (for example, family members, cleaning staff, authorities).

D. Collective mania  causes clinically significant discomfort or impairs the individual’s life. This includes their social life, work and maintenance of a safe environment for themselves and others.

E.  No other medical condition can explain it  (eg brain damage, cerebrovascular disease, Prader-Willi syndrome).

F. The collection  is not due to symptoms of any other mental illness.  For example, obsessive-compulsive disorder, decreased energy due to major depressive disorder, delusions in schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, a cognitive impairment in severe neurocognitive disorders, lack of interest in autism spectrum disorders, etc.

A home full of useless things

The objects that people usually collect are newspapers, magazines, old clothes, bags, books, electronic equipment and paperwork. Almost anything can be collected. They are not just assets that most people would define as useless or worthless. Many people collect very valuable things. These things can often be found among other items of lesser value.

People with collecting mania voluntarily collect their belongings. They get upset when they think they have to throw them away. Thus  , the hoarding and accumulation is conscious.

This characteristic differs from other types of psychological pathologies. Other disorders involve  passive accumulation of objects or absence of anxiety  when someone gets rid of them. That’s how they are different.

People who collect a lot of things end up filling up and cluttering up their homes,  making it difficult to live there.  For example, they may not be able to cook in the kitchen, sleep in bed or sit in a chair in the living room.

Problems with using certain living areas

When areas of the home are usable at all, it is usually just barely. The root usually consists of a large number of objects, which are usually irrelevant. They can also be loosely related, stacked together in a disorganized manner in areas intended for other uses.

As we saw in the diagnostic criteria,  point C affects  the active living areas in the home, instead of the peripheral areas such as the garage, attic or basement. These areas can also be disorganized in the homes of people without collecting mania.

Collectors often have items that occupy their active living space and  can make it difficult to use other areas, such as their vehicles, workplaces or the houses of friends or family members.

In some cases, living spaces may not look cluttered because family members, professional cleaners, or local authorities have intervened. In this case, however, people may  still experience symptoms that meet the diagnostic criteria  because they were not the source of the cleaning.

Collecting mania is different from the behavior of ordinary collectors, who have a certain systematic organization. Collectors do not mess it up and do not feel upset when they have to throw things away.

As you have seen, collecting mania consists of collecting items that may not be useful. The severity of the disease increases over time and  often becomes chronic, especially without intervention.