Children who hoard exhibit a tendency to collect meaningless items, including food, clothing, and garbage. Hoarded food can indicate a fear of running out of food or money, while hoarded clothing is usually unwearable. Hoarding behavior can be addressed through behavior therapy.
Signs of hoarding in children include a tendency to hoard items, a propensity for mess and disorganization, and fussing about anyone touching or removing their belongings. Often these signs exist simultaneously, although many children and adolescents may simply be exhibiting telltale behavior. The most common sign, hoarding, should not be confused with children’s natural tendency to pick up items they find valuable. Stocks associated with hoarding in children are usually made up of meaningless and worthless items.
The worthless items most often hoarded by children include food, clothing, and even garbage. According to psychologists, food supplies are often created by neglected or abused children who have been deprived of proper nutrition. Food collections can be stored in closets, under beds, in drawers or in old suitcases. Occasionally, kids and teens may store food in extra backpacks and old lunch boxes. Generally, the stench of rotting food will alert family members to the accumulation of food.
Pests such as rats, mice and cockroaches can also lead the family to a hidden food supply. Some behavioral psychologists report that children with eating disorders such as bulimia may also be hoarding food. The presence of hoarded food can often coincide with changes in a family’s financial well-being; Food hoarding in children often signals that a child fears that the family may run out of food or money to buy food, jeopardizing future livelihoods.
Many children have attachments to favorite sweatshirts, a pair of pants from a grandparent, or clothes passed down from an older sister. The difference is that stocks of clothing that signal hoarding in children are usually items of clothing that have no sentimental value and are damaged and completely unwearable. For example, if a child or adolescent is holding clothing that has stains and tears or clothing that is too small to fit even though they have no emotional attachments, it could be a symptom of hoarding.
Garbage hoarding elevates common trash to collectibles. Gum wrappers and candy wrappers are the most frequently hoarded items. A hoarder child or teen might also fixate on collecting empty bottles and empty cans for no reason other than to get them. Boxes are another common trash picked up by young hoarders. In some cases, hoarding in children might involve saving cups of bathwater or cups of sand and rocks culled from the backyard, beach, or playground.
Occasionally, toys might be devalued and used for hoarding. When this happens, the child will not play with the toys and will often ignore the toys unless someone else tries to play with them. If a younger sibling or visitor shows interest in hoarded toys or other items, the hoarding child may become aggressive, frustrated, and possessive. In many circumstances, behavior therapy can help hoarding children.
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