Malaysian Mental Health Association chief Dr Andrew Mohanraj said such behaviour could be on a sliding scale between good and bad.
He said if one hoards items such as garbage, then major mental illnesses such as schizophrenia might be in play which needs to be addressed.
“Hoarding is subjective, depending on a person’s personality and upbringing. People hoard things such as pots and pans, plastic containers or recyclable goods with the hope that it can be sold for a profit.
“Some people who had a difficult childhood may end up in adulthood not wanting to dispose of things deemed useless by others. This is not a problem as long as they are not causing a nuisance to others,” he said.
Hoarding is defined as “difficulty to part with possession”, and the “accumulation of more things that congest and clutter a person’s life,” according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a guide used by psychologists.
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) associate professor Geshina Ayu Mat Saat said in diagnosing a person suspected of having the hoarding problem, it would first have to be determined whether they are aware that their habit is making their lives worse, or if they were in a delusional state of mind.
She said usually, the hoarding habit begins when one has a fear of loss triggered by a past traumatic incident.
“The hoarding can be the result of a loss of personal effects during natural disasters. Sometimes it also boils down to the basic belief that the items collected would be useful at some point in the future.”
Clearing out clutter won’t solve hoarder’s problem
Clinical psychologist Dr Chua Sook Ning said no one becomes a hoarder all of a sudden, but that the habit grows over time.
“Some of these people with a hoarding problem are often in denial. Clearing out the hoarder’s clutter in the name of intervention also cannot resolve their problem,” she said.
She added, however, that motivational talks, behavioural therapy and medicine, could help to improve their disorder.
“Mental health is on a continuum. So some people could even be hoarding without having the disorder.
“Also, there doesn’t appear to be any link between poverty and hoarding, according to research available currently. The causes of the hoarding disorder are still unknown.”
A 63-year-old retired teacher from Simpang Pulai, Perak, was in the news recently after she was found to have accumulated tonnes of rubbish in the driveway of her home in Taman Bersatu.
USM lecturer Chooi Weng Tink said the recovery of those with a hoarding disorder would take a long time and baby steps were needed to get them started on any form of rehabilitation.
She said what needed to be diagnosed was other underlying factors, such as anxiety, which needs to be fixed before treating the disorder.
“Could it be that the hoarder was afraid of not having something they needed in the future? Or maybe these people have experienced poverty and were hoarding to avoid going through a life they had experienced before?”
Chooi said forcibly removing the clutter might cause more distress and won’t resolve the problem in the long run. She said what was needed was a multipronged medical approach.
“A multi-disciplinary approach is optimal as research has shown low motivation to be a key stumbling block in treating the disorder. More study is needed on the efficiency of the current methods of treatment.
“Cognitive behavioural therapy with motivational interviewing during home visits has shown positive results in helping people with the disorder. Pharmacological management may be helpful with common co-occurring mental and physical conditions too,” she said.
The woman in Simpang Pulai is being taken to court by the Ipoh city council over public health violations.
A neighbour said the woman cycled around the area collecting rubbish every day. Sinar Harian reported that the woman is married with three children but now lives alone. It was also reported that the woman said she was collecting plastics and boxes to be sold to recycling shops.