Helping Hoarders: To keep or to cast away?
Today is recognised as 'World Hoarding Day'.
Around 5% of people across the British Isles - around 1.2 million people - are classified as hoarders.
The term refers to people who acquire an excessive number of items and store them in a chaotic manner, usually resulting in unmanageable amounts of clutter.
It is considered to be a significant problem if the amount of clutter interferes with everyday living, like not being able to access rooms or negatively affecting someone's quality of life.
In 2013, the NHS classified hoarding as a mental health issue and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has now followed suit.
But it is not always connected to mental health and can be a result of living alone, a deprived childhood or even a family history of hoarding.
If you or someone you know may need help, more information can be found here: