WHEN STUFF OWNS US

There is a hoarder in all of us in some measure, but it can become a mental health condition when it seriously impairs one's life and the safety of others

- Puja Awasthi

Of all the desperations that propel human behavior, few are as addictive as the constant need to surround ourselves with things to possess and to own. Look around yourself books you have not opened in years; entangled power cords/chargers you do not know the use for; cassettes and discs you don't play any longer; the multiple condiments for recipes you have forgotten; mementos that bring back no memories; closets stuffed with clothes, but the common lament that you have nothing to wear; containers with no lids; gadgets you do not know how to use; clothes that no longer fit; footwear you intend to use when you start power walking... the list is endless. And yet, almost every single day you aspire some more, you acquire some more. Mysteriously, the end goal of happiness and the contentment you seek from stuff-shifts just a bit more.

This turnstile without an exit was listed as a 'hoarding disorder' (HD) by the World Health Organization in 2019. It had, of course, existed much before, but was clubbed under obsessive-compulsive disorders. An obsessive disorder is one where an individual is caught in the loop of an unwanted thought. It becomes compulsive when you act on that thought. Common examples are the repeated washing of hands to get rid of unwanted germs and the multiple checking of whether a key was turned properly to secure a lock.

The WHO defines hoarding as 'a mental health condition that is characterised by the accumulation of possessions, which can significantly impair a person's life'. Technically, it is placed in the International Classification of Diseases-11. It is a category that also includes malingering-the pretence of being sick to avoid work. But that is a story for another day.