From IMH to contractors: How over 30 organisations are joining forces to fight rise in hoarding cases

“Maybe this round we managed to clean this area and … we were thinking to declutter another area (next time),” said Ms Tong. “But next time when we come to the home, maybe this area is cluttered again.”

A key challenge is that hoarders often do not perceive their behaviour as problematic, said Dr Tan.

“It feels natural and acceptable to them,” he said. “Unlike other conditions where patients want to recover, hoarding patients often resist change unless there are other comorbid illnesses causing distress.”

Hoarders also struggle with managing the emotions of discarding and have genuine difficulties with planning, categorisation, prioritisation and working memory, said Dr Tan.

“They struggle to make decisions about what to keep or discard, have difficulty organising items systematically, and cannot effectively plan decluttering activities,” he explained.

“This isn’t something they can easily overcome simply because there’s external pressure.”