Am I a hoarder? We have lost count of the times our clients have asked us this question. Shows like Hoarders and Hoarders: Buried Alive have shined a light on hoarding conditions. Hoarding has even been recognized as a mental disorder by researchers recently. With these developments we have noticed a change in the societal attitude and awareness of hoarding. All of a sudden being a hoarder is not a hidden secret and that is a great news. This recognition is the first step toward healing for many. Although the word hoarder has been introduced to the urban dictionary it has not really has been explained.

We always educate our clients about the most common trades of hoarding. And tell most of them that they are far from being a hoarder. Although it has been said that somewhere between 3-6 million people in the United States suffer from hoarding, you being a little disorganized, messy or collective doesn't necessary make you a hoarder.

Many times order falls apart in our homes because we may be too busy to keep up with our system, we lack a system to begin with, or our system is not really customized to our life. To us it's always interesting when we get a call from panicked people, claiming that they are hoarders only to find their space is just cluttered and disorganized. Yes we have to confess most times there is some hidden clutter in closets or some problem with over shopping. Some of us do have a tendency to collect more of certain things like shoes, ties or handbags. Sometimes these things do become issues in smaller spaces. However, as long as you are willing to let go of what you don't need anymore you won't be falling on the category of hoarding. Here are few things you might want to consider next time you are calling yourself or someone else a hoarder.