Bibliomania is a type of OCD characterized by excessive book hoarding. It is not the same as bibliophilia, which is a reasonable enjoyment of books. Bibliomania can be treated with behavioral therapy and medication. It can also be associated with other book-related disorders and hoarding compulsions.
Bibliomania is a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, characterized by an attempt to acquire, collect, and hoard books in excess of what is reasonable. Individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder suffer from obsessions, or pervasive and disruptive thoughts, and compulsions, or repetitive behaviors that the afflicted individual must carry out to avoid anxiety. Bibliomania is grouped with such disorders because the afflicted individuals hoard books due to a compulsion, not due to a legitimate interest in books. They often buy or obtain books with no real intention of reading them. It is not uncommon for individuals with this compulsion to purchase multiple copies of the same book.
Reasonable enjoyment of books and book collecting is called bibliophilia. It is not always easy or even possible to conclusively distinguish bibliophilia from bibliomania, as both can lead to similar behaviors. In general, book picking and hoarding is considered compulsive behavior if it causes harm to an individual’s social life or health. Furthermore, collecting books without the intent to read them, particularly when they have no other intrinsic value, is indicative of bibliomania. When the inability to collect more books, whether due to lack of financial means or lack of physical space, causes excessive anxiety, a psychological compulsion is also likely to be present.
In some cases, bibliomania may be associated with other book-related psychological disorders. Sometimes, particularly if you don’t have the financial means to fuel your compulsion, you may be forced to steal books, a compulsion called bibliokleptomania. Bibliomania can also be combined with other hoarding compulsions such as hoarding vinyl records or hoarding magazines. People with such compulsions may hoard items to the point where lack of physical storage in their places of residence becomes a problem.
There are various treatments available for bibliomania and other compulsive disorders, although they are not always successful, and many people with compulsive disorders do not seek help. Various behavioral therapy techniques and drugs are commonly used to manage different OCDs. Behavior therapy often relies on gradually reducing the extent to which you obey your compulsions and increasing the extent to which you tolerate the associated anxiety. An individual with bibliomania, for example, may be asked to set a weekly limit on the number of books added to her collection. Various forms of medications have been shown to be effective in treating obsessive-compulsive disorders, but the mechanisms by which they reduce anxiety and increase an afflicted individual’s social functioning are not well understood.
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