The Secret Lives of Hoarders_ True Stories of Tackling Extreme Clutter - Matt Paxton [24]
Lucy’s ADHD drove her hoarding in that she was distracted by too many hobbies and bought endless supplies for each one. Also, she didn’t keep track of what she already had, so she was buying duplicates.
Lucy was smart, and she wanted to stay clean. This wasn’t about laziness or a lack of education. Lucy’s brain just worked differently. Hoarders like her have got to treat the ADHD first, usually with a combination of medication and therapy, or they just won’t be able to master the processes required to stay clutter-free.
The connection to ADHD is an easy one to make. Someone who is easily distracted and has difficulty sticking to a plan could become overwhelmed by keeping track of his or her possessions.
Dr. Chabaud has found that with ADHD, it’s difficult to tell which comes first. For example, do people start hoarding because they have ADHD issues, can’t focus, and overbuy when shopping? Or is it that a hoarder is so confused by the collecting compulsion that his or her brain starts to get easily distracted in other areas?
Because Lucy was easily distracted, she just wasn’t going to reliably follow through with things like folding laundry, washing dirty dishes, or even getting basic housekeeping done. And once she fell behind on those tasks, she felt so overwhelmed that she had no idea where to even start.
The hallmark of ADHD is that the “executive function” part of the brain doesn’t work very well. This is the brain’s “boss,” essentially, driving the person’s ability to sort, prioritize, and categorize tasks. A hoarder with ADHD can’t really make rational decisions about what to do. This hoarder also tends to fight structure and order, preferring to be spontaneous. Organization can look too controlling to a person with ADHD, like it might stifle the person’s creativity and impetuous nature.
Throwing items away seems risky, because in the ADHD world things are always getting misplaced. If an item with sentimental value gets lost, the memories might disappear with it, so the hoarder prefers to just keep everything. The most important items—whatever the ADHD person is holding at the moment—go “right here on top” of the piles. That’s how the piles grow. Everything in every pile is in some way important to a hoarder.
Also, ADHD hoarders have trouble thinking through “what-if” scenarios. For example, how likely is the hoarder to actually fix that broken clock radio? What are the chances the hoarder will actually find the missing pieces to the board game? More important, with whom is the hoarder going to play that game? These scenarios probably aren’t going to end satisfactorily, but someone with impaired executive function in the brain can’t weigh the likelihood of that.
Finally, another hallmark of ADHD is the tendency to overfocus on a process or event and lose sight of the big picture, which means Lucy may not have even seen the house in its entirety. She may have seen only one pile at a time, and not realized—or subconsciously chosen not to accept—the extent of the problem.
▶ Addiction
Kurt was a shopping hoarder whose house, like Marcie’s, was filled with purchases still in their original bags and packaging. He was a compulsive shopper who lived for the thrill of finding a sale item, of comparing pricing and getting value for his money. Kurt liked nothing better than to deck himself out in a suit, gold chains, and watch; spritz on a little cologne; style his toupee—and go shopping. He felt important and totally in control.
Kurt admitted that he knew he was getting himself into debt and worsening