8 Signs You Might Become a Hoarder
You've watched
Hoarders with equal parts sympathy and fear: "Will that be me in 20 years?" Researchers are still trying to understand the disorder, but here are some clues:
By Carlin Florin
Photo: Getty Images
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You were a teenage collector—but not in a Comic Con sort of way.
Many kids accumulate stuff, but child hoarders tend to gather unusual objects such as empty food containers and hide them under their beds. Though there are practically no studies following hoarders over time, we do know that 80 percent started by age 18 and that several of the traits associated with hoarding were present in people as adolescents, says
Jordana Muroff, Ph.D., an assistant professor at Boston University School of Social Work. In fact, Muroff says, the onset of hoarding is begins on average, at age 12 or 13. Herein is the good news: If you're already middle-aged and are not a hoarder, it's very unlikely you'll become one. (The bad news is that once it's established, the clutter gets worse over time.)
Published 04/02/2014
