Hoarding syndrome is characterized by "excessive hoarding and saving behaviors that result in a cluttered living space and significant distress or impairment" (Frost and Hart, 1996). Symptoms of hoarding often begin between ages 10 and 13 (Mackin, Arean, Delucchi, & Matthews, 2011) but do not “discriminate in terms of age, gender, educational level, or socioeconomic status” (Singh & Jones, 2013). However, researchers have found a very strong association between having a family member who is a compulsive hoarder and becoming a hoarder yourself (Mayo Clinic, 2014). Stressful life events, a history of alcohol abuse, and social isolation are also risk factors associated with hoarding syndrome (Mayo Clinic, 2014). “Emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and symptoms of the effects of hoarding may include: the inability to discard items, moving items from one pile to another, messy living spaces, etc.” (Mayo Clinic, 2014). It is important to be aware that accumulating is different from collecting objects. According to the Mayo Clinic, "people who collect deliberately seek out specific items for their collections. Collectors often classify their items and display them carefully. Hoarders save random items they encounter in their daily lives and store them haphazardly in their homes or surrounding areas" (Mayo Clinic, 2014). Hoarding syndrome exists along a “continuum from normal collecting to a psychological condition” that interferes with the safety and quality of life of the individual, their family members, and other people closely associated with them (Wilbran et al 2008, Gilliam and Tolin 2010). Items collected by these individuals may be seen as “useless or of limited value” by others and “prevent individuals… halves of paper…true. Stick to your treatment plan, maintain personal hygiene, proper nutrition, relationships with others, self-care, concentration on one's goals and taking small steps can reduce or prevent any condition of compulsive hoarding. Works cited1) Singh, Satwant and Jones, Colin (2013, December Compulsive Hoarding Syndrome: Engaging Patients in Mental Health Practice, 17(4), p. 16-202) Mackin, R. Scott, Arean, Patricia A., Deluccho, Kevin L., Mathews, Carol A. (2001, May). Cognitive functioning in individuals with severe compulsive hoarding behaviors and depression in late life, International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 26(3), p. mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hoarding/basics/definition/con.-20031337