Syllogomania (pathological hoarding) is a mental disorder involving difficulties in getting rid of unnecessary items. The sick person obsessively accumulates large amounts of worthless things, often garbage, which gradually clutter his immediate surroundings and prevent normal functioning. Sometimes syllogomania takes the form of animal hoarding, most often of homeless dogs and cats.

Syllogomania , otherwisepathological gathering , it is estimated to affect from 2% to 5% of the population. Until recently,syllogomaniawas not considered a disease and was often treated as a symptom of other mental disorders. Currently, collecting has the status of a disease and since 2013 it has been included in the classification of mental disorders of the American Psychiatric Association DSM-5 under the number 300.03.

Syllogomania mainly affects people over 50, although its first symptoms may appear as early as 11-12 years old. With each subsequent decade of life, the symptoms of pathological hoarding worsen and increasingly impair the functioning of the sick person. In extreme cases, obsessive gathering of things may endanger the safety of the patient and his environment.

Syllogomania (pathological hoarding) - symptoms

Syllogomania has the following symptoms:

  • chronic difficulties in getting rid of or sharing things you own, no matter what their current value. Most often it is very low, and the collected items are completely useless (e.g. old newspapers, used clothes, broken equipment and tools, bags, rubbish);
  • strong need to keep things, emotional attachment to them. Each attempt to take away the accumulated items from the collector causes resistance and emotional reaction;
  • gradually filling the collector's living space with large amounts of unnecessary things - the sick person brings so many useless items into his home or workplace that it becomes impossible to use them normally. The rooms and household appliances are completely cluttered and cluttered with piles of rubbish, so they no longer serve their intended purpose (there is no place to lie down on the bed, you cannot access kitchen cabinets, there is nowhere to sit, etc.);
  • the above symptoms make the sick person unable to function normally in the society - he or she does not work, often comes into conflict with the environment that demands removal of accumulated items, is at risk of eviction, cutting off gas, electricity and other utilities;
  • moreover, the sick person ceases to take care of their appearance and hygiene, is constantly exposed to loss of he alth or life (in a cluttered apartment the risk of fire, accidents increases, vermin that cause infections nests, etc.).

The symptoms of hoarding may appear periodically to a greater or lesser intensity. They usually worsen in stressful situations, when the patient loses his sense of security. They are often a reaction to a strong psychological shock, e.g. the death of a loved one, the news about one's own illness or someone from the environment, retirement and change of the current lifestyle - then the syllogomania becomes a defensive reaction, increasing the sense of security.

Animal hoarding ( Animal hoarding )

Animal gathering is a special type of syllogomania. The patient gathers a large number of animals in his apartment without providing them with appropriate living conditions (no access to food, veterinary care, poor hygiene and sanitation). This leads to the occurrence of diseases among pets and progressive pollution of the rooms in which they stay.

As in the case of collecting objects, sick people feel a deep emotional bond with adopted dogs and cats, so any attempt to remove them by someone from outside generates strong resistance.

Syllogomania (pathological gathering) - causes

The symptoms of hoarding may be an indirect result of other mental illnesses (e.g. obsessive-compulsive disorder, dementia, schizophrenia). 75% of people affected by syllogomania have an affective disorder or anxiety disorder, and more than half suffer from depression. Every fifth patient meets the diagnostic criteria for OCD, i.e. obsessive-compulsive disorders.

Character traits and personality type may also affect the occurrence of syllogomania. People prone to anxiety and excessive perfectionism suffer from this disease more often. Before the symptoms of hoarding become pathological, they are usually preceded by symptoms such as an obsession with symmetry and order, excessive caution, pedantry, a tendency to inventory, sort, sort, stubbornness, and a strong attachment to norms and regulations.

Syllogomania (pathological gathering) - treatment

It should be strongly emphasized that gathering is not a quirk or a whim, but a diseasepsychical. People with symptoms of syllogomania should not be stigmatized, but treated as patients who require specialist treatment.

Patients are usually not aware of the harmfulness of their disease and do not seek treatment themselves. In such a situation, only outside intervention can help. A person affected by pathological hoarding should be referred to a hospital, where the necessary examinations will be carried out (due to negligence, the patient may suffer from various somatic diseases). In the event of a lack of consent to remain in the facility, it may be necessary to place the patient in a psychiatric hospital. You can also look for help at the nearest mental he alth clinic.

Treatment of syllogomania involves the use of pharmacological therapy in conjunction with psychotherapy. As in the case of obsessive-compulsive disorder, antidepressants are used for this purpose.

Psychotherapy aims to make the patient aware of his problem, teach him how to organize the space around him and what objects to get rid of, as well as educate him / her the ability to make decisions.

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