When does a large collection become hoarding?

I think a lot of the people who happen to be thought of as "hoarders" also may have happened to be alive during the great depression or some similar event. I think of hoarding as a response to those events, or maybe a similar event in a person's individual life. I also feel like there's a certain extent where hoarding is completely fine and acceptable, but that there isn't necessarily a hard black and white to determine that.

I would never have thought of myself as a hoarder. My sister is a pack-rat, and she keeps a lot of things that I would find completely useless, but the thought of calling her a hoarder would never even have crossed my mind. Not in any serious way, anyway. And I think using the term loosly is very narrow-minded of people, because there are actual people who have a real problem with this type of thing.

So, reading through most of the responses, I will say this:

I'm a doll collector. I keep all of my dolls in boxes/totes in my closet (even my non-bjd's). I like to keep them nice, and that's how I like to organize them. Some of my dolls, I only very rarely take out of their boxes. I don't remember any of the dates that I got them, I can probably remember the order I got them, but with time I will probably forget that too. The majority of the BJD's I have (out of 7), have never been changed out of the outfit I either got them with or bought specifically for them. I only even play with two. And by play, I mean take out from time to time and change an outfit or just have it sit by me for a day or so. I also would never get rid of any of my dolls. Especially the first one I got, which was a wedding gift to me from my husband and I cherish it in much the same way as I do my wedding ring.

So according to a lot of people, I'm a "hoarder". But I have never been called such, and would probably laugh in your face if you ever told me that I was because, honestly, I'd think it was a joke.

I don't think hoarding can be placed into one hobby/collection like that. I think it's a far more serious thing than that, and I think if somebody was an actual hoarder, they wouldn't hoard BJD's. They would hoard everything, and probably most of it would be completely useless and valueless "junk", not high-priced collectables.

 

I might be considered a hoarder by some respects, because I have a ton of dolls and not enough room to store them (yet). But I don't consider myself a hoarder because I don't buy compulsively, and I don't have a fit if I have to get rid of some of them (in fact, that may not be such a bad idea). In addition, I usually have a good reason for buying a doll, and I don't usually do it on a whim. If my collection starts overwhelming me and eclipsing all else in my life (i.e. my family, my schooling, my career, and my PAYCHECK) then it will be hoarding.

 

No one has ever accussed me of being a hoarder, though I myself have worried about it. There are so many great dolls out there. I set a limit on myself, I only collect non-human fantasy dolls. Not much of a limit, I know, now a-days. Then I decided I could only get one or two new dolls a year until all my floating heads are on bodies. I've really slowed down a lot. I am one of those collectors who displays their dolls in a static situation. I have really nice cases I keep the dolls in. When they get over crowded I get a new one. I also collect Monster High dolls and they have their own case as well. I think hoarding is when what you collect makes it difficult to live in your home because there is no longer any room for you or anyone else. If you have to crawl over boxes of dolls to get from one room to the next you are probably a hoarder. Unfortunatly I think we will see this term thrown around more now that the disorder is being more publicized, so I don't think people should necessarily be offended by hearing it all that often. Hoarding is really a pretty severe mental disorder and I think some clutter and a large collection doesn't necessarily make you a hoarder.

 

No, what a hoarder hoards can have a lot to do with how much money they have to spend. A wealthy hoarder could easily collect bjds. Think William Randolph Hearst and his extensive collection of art. (or check out the hoard at the end of the movie Citizen Kane, which was based on Hearst.) Some hoarders manage to keep their homes clean by moving their hoard to a series of storage lockers, and often it's not junk that fills those lockers.

Bibliomania (book collecting gone overboard) is a type of hoarding. And we've already mentioned animal hoarding. So the value of items doesn't necessarily have anything to do with it.

 

And just how many books do i need to be a bibliomaniac?

 

IDK. Enough so that your house is a maze of stacked books?

I'm just gonna assume you're a bibliophile. Like me.

 

Well, I have double stacked bookcases, piles on a special table (no piles on the floor), I always carry a book in my bag, even if i know i wont have time to read and several books I have not read for decades (my childhood books) but could never bear to part with, so I'd say YES to that.

Also almost had a hoarding experience earlier this week. I lost out on a doll I really wanted on ebay. Then ALMOST got a doll I do not want from the same seller just because it was going cheap. Very cheap.

 

I am not going to say how many dolls I own since I collect (or have collected) different styles and brands. Some would say that the number would be considered hoarding. I don't care. It is my collection, my house, my money.

If you are into something that you cannot control or are spending money you don't have, then you might have an issue that goes deeper than "hoarding".

I don't have room to display all of my dolls. I have some in boxes and some in closets (in the hope that I will have a room for them one day). I still have my Barbies from when I was a child. I am sentimental and will rarely sell or trade a doll. But they are mine to enjoy and they are paid for, so I don't really care what others think.

BTW, my mom thinks I have too many dolls. I think she has too many purses. To each his or her own.

 

Well...sort of. I will agree that a lot of it does tend to stem from an event that happened, such as a death, or other kind of trauma - but there are a lot of hoarders who weren't born anywhere near the Great Depression. Even so, I think the Great Depression was a time to make due with little, and to be resourceful, so the atmosphere at that time might not have been enough to foster hoarders. Most likely, they'd be using whatever they could. Perhaps after the depression ended, people might have an inherent fear of 'what if' - what if we went into such a depression again, that is.

 

Hoarding?? I think not, I prefer the term "appreciation for the aesthetic beauty of resin art." Just call me the Prado of dolls......lol.

I see no harm in collecting things as long as you have a sense of balance, and an appreciation of when you have to get a new home, and then you realize......wow, that is too much.

 

Only when it becomes a malfunctioning factor in your life is when it's a problem. If you're normal, still able to function without obsessing over dolls, I think you're fine.

 

It becomes hoarding when you're doing it because you have a psychological compulsion to acquire and hold on to these items. Buying things you enjoy because you enjoy and appreciate them is just collecting, not hoarding. We don't say somebody is hoarding because they have a closet full of clothes and shoes, or a shelf full of books, or a library of video games.

 

I am very new to this and only have a few dolls, however I have seen "hoarders" in person and the definition I believe is when the "hoard" overwhelms the space and takes over the life of the person to their detriment. If you can no longer live in a space because it is filled with things (any type of thing), then yes you are a hoarder. I saw a program with one doll collector who's house was filled with her dolls, they lived all around; on her bed, on her couch....everywhere. I think it is a bit extreme.... her husband seemed like he was glad it kept her mind on the dolls and away from him (which was strange imho).... but if it's not a burden on them financially or if it's not taking the place of her actual family then I still see no harm? Even though I can't imagine getting around the house with that many dolls, I've seen worse...say cats or rats? What harm can the dolls do if the place is kept clean and each doll is attended to?

 

"When does a BJD owner become a BJD Hoarder?" I feel like hoarding starts when you REALLY have too much, and it's just completely taken over your living space and even the owner is feeling overwhelmed. Obviously, this depends on the person. For me, it'd be probably after around 10.

"Have you been accused of being a doll hoarder, or possibly even thought you may be? and on what grounds?" I have never been accused of being a hoarder, because I really don't have one yet. But I think I became a hoarder when my wishlist had 50+ dolls and I remembered only 9-10 of them.

 

I've never considered that it'd be hording O.O;, I always saw hording as.. keeping useless things because you 'might need them one day' you know? like paper bagss oor wrapping paper.. to the point where you have boxes full.. things you'll never really need that much of.. or things that you have a very small attachment to and can't let go because of that even though it becomes a hindrance.. it's different to having a hobby and collecting things that make you happy.. isn't it? there are so many different things you can create for or from these dolls! and so many things you can do with them too!
I'd be horrified if I ever realized one day that I was 'hording' them, I think that would mean I didn't love them like I do now! I actually can't wait to have my own little army of dolls !
OH! doubles and triples of the same doll with the same makeup and mould(you know? like back up dollies?) I'd consider that to be hording lol!

 

You can't really be a hoarder when you don't have anything yet. Wishful thinking does not a hoarder make in any way.

 

Wow, mental hoarding!! No, Hikari Kame, I don't think that unrestrained window-shopping & wishing will get you on that reality show. If it were, I'd be on the Imelda Marcos Shitlist for coveting approximately 46,000 pairs of Fluevogs. You're allowed to fill up your brain with as many of everything as you want.

 

For one of my puki I actually got a back-up faceplate with the same face-up. I love this doll very, very much the way it is and I know I would really dislike it if she no longer excisted. I do want to play with her a lot and take her places. But I didnt for some time cause I was afraid of damaging her face-up. So I got her a back-up plate. This might be a bit neurotic, but I dont consider it hoarding.


JennyNemesis Why o why mention Fluevogs and make me google them...

 

That's actually an interesting idea. It might not be the best idea for every doll, but spare faceplates seem like a good idea - both because if face up issues, but also for physical damage, like the one you have coming off and breaking.

 

Yeah, and one extra pukiplate takes hardly any space at all.