Risk factors

Hoarding usually starts around ages 11 to 15, and it tends to get worse with age. Hoarding is more common in older adults than in younger adults.

Risk factors include:

• Personality. Many people who have hoarding disorder have a temperament that includes indecisiveness.
• Family history. There is a strong association between having a family member who has hoarding disorder and having the disorder yourself.
• Stressful life events. Some people develop hoarding disorder after experiencing a stressful life event that they had difficulty coping with, such as the death of a loved one, divorce, eviction or losing possessions in a fire.