What causes hoarding?
While the exact causes of hoarding are unknown, there is evidence that people who hoard have a different way of processing information. They tend to pay attention to all the visual and tactile details of an object, even if it has no apparent value or function – like a bottle cap or an empty carton. They also try to organize their lives visually and spatially rather than categorically. There does seem to be a genetic link because hoarding runs in families. Hoarding may be exacerbated by a traumatic event, such as the death of a loved one or a long illness.
