OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) & Children Who Clutter
Relax, your cluttering kid probably don’t have OCD, but it’s still important to know about, because cluttering in general often takes on some aspects of being compulsive. When I first started writing about cluttering, most of the literature was about hoarding. What I’ve discovered since is that cluttering behavior has some OCD components, some AD/HD components and a lot of anxiety and depression components. It’s like a computer made with old and new technology. It works, but not very effectively. There will be conflicts from different sets of hardware preferences.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder usually begins in the teenage years or young adulthood, though some recent studies suggest that more younger children develop this disorder and haven’t been diagnosed. We’re all familiar with stories of children who continually wash their hands or count or exhibit “checking” activities (repeatedly making sure doors are locked, for instance). Hoarding is the OCD manifestation that relates to cluttering. We are more likely to see that in older adults, but it does happen with kids. Fortunately, the incidence of OCD in the general population is about two-and-a-half percent, and hoarders are about one-third of that, according to one of the most respected experts in the field, Dr. Gail Steketee.
If a kid has OCD tendencies, they are more likely to show up as being excessively neat than being excessively messy.
“Teenagers with OCD have obsessions and/or compulsions. An obsession refers to recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are intrusive and cause severe anxiety or distress. Compulsions refer to repetitive behaviors and rituals (like hand washing, hoarding, ordering, checking) or mental acts (like counting, repeating words silently, avoiding). The obsessions and compulsions also significantly interfere with the teen’s normal routine, academic functioning, usual social activities, or relationships.” – from http://www.aacap.org/about/glossary/ocd.htm.
The difference between a clutterer and a hoarder, in my observations, is being able to differentiate between what might have some value and garbage. If your teen eats in his room, he may not carry the dirty dishes to the kitchen. That’s almost normal. If he saves the half-eaten sandwiches, or stockpiles food, that’s over the line and may indicate a hoarding disorder.
Kim Arrington Cooper, M.E.D., a family counselor who’s worked with a lot of abused children, told me that hoarding could be a sign of abuse. She also told me of an anorexic teen who hoarded. She was torn between fear of not having enough and eating too much and becoming fat. So, if your children have begun hoarding, it’s not something you should ignore.