Syllogomania: why I never throw anything?
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Cleaning can be heartbreaking for some people. But syllogomania should not be taken lightly. Its consequences can be serious for mental health. What are the causes of this compulsive accumulation disorder? What are the most frequently affected objects? How to cope?
Syllogomania is often confused with another behavioral disorder: Diogenes syndrome. Little known, it consists of accumulating objects, without using them. People with this disorder have trouble separating from these accumulated elements. How to differentiate a compulsive accumulator from a collector?
Where does the difficulty to separate from certain objects come from?
"It is essentially the sentimental value that we place on objects that prevents them from being thrown away, sold, or given away," explains Dr. Lionel Dantin. They have a meaning for everyone, they symbolize a memory, an emotional bond, or everyone is a small collector at heart, even if some sink into "syllogomania", pathological hoarding, even Diogenes syndrome, which also causes negligence in Personal hygiene ".
What are the most accumulated articles? Why ?
Very often, we keep magazines, books, brochures, but also bags, old clothes, mail or food. "Unlike the collection, motivated by the pursuit of pleasure and the improvement of the object, this collecting aims to ward off negative emotions, linked to limiting beliefs: 'You never know, it can be useful', 'This is not good to waste " By preserving, one avoids feeling fear, guilt, or sadness.
Is syllogomania an OCD?
"This is what is now called an OCD-related disorder, which belongs to cognitive disorders. The three characteristics that characterize it are perfectionism, difficulty in making decisions, and the emotional bond with objects. Originally, maintaining them It can make sense, like washing your hands to avoid contagion. Then, little by little, we will repeat this good behavior, in circumstances that are no longer adequate. "We are talking about compulsive reaction: we cannot avoid maintaining ourselves, like washing our hands."
Is cluttering your house cluttering up?
Accumulation fills a void. "It is to appease two fundamental fears. First, that of lack of control: the more you have, the more you dominate, the less you have the illusion. And then, the anxiety of death: the object is immutable, keeping it suspends time. it comes from the consequences of hoarding: relationships can be strained, the house is invaded, a feeling of shame arises. " When you are so full, it is necessary to free yourself from your fears to find a way of freedom.
Can you learn how to delete without panicking?
For Lionel Dantin, behavioral and cognitive therapy can help everyone free their physical and mental space. "It will be a matter of working on the toxic thoughts that are at the origin of the three inappropriate behaviors: the acquisition of objects, the inability to order them and the difficulty to get rid of them. I suggest to my patients that they begin with the classification, which is less anxious, classifying, for example, their magazines (depending on the publication date, the topic, etc.) or their clothing (the pieces we like, the ones that can be used, etc.). distraction (the person is too occupied to acquire it) and change of perception (necessary for the subsequent separation)".
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