kfisherx
Phoenix
Joined: Nov 04, 2010
Age: 49
Posts: 1192
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 Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 2:26 pm Post subject: |
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Ah.... Okay cool. I am being oversensitive I suppose. Used to getting hammerd without understanding so am very careful about that now.  It's all good. |
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aghogday
KATiE MiA
Joined: Nov 26, 2010
Posts: 4752
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| Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 11:05 pm Post subject: |
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I don't think that there is a direct link between Autism and Hoarding. But, there seems to be a common thread of behaviors listed here in the responses. I also have kept what I explain to my wife as a backup computer, a 2nd back up ,3rd, etc., a collection of "omni" magazines, readers digest, computer magazines, that I might reference later (Google took care of this), sound receivers, TV's, an acoustic piano although I only use an electronic one, horrible time getting rid of cars I had a long time that I took meticulous care of, video game consoles and associated games, saving MRE's for the next hurricane, etc.
For me the common thing was they were all part of special interests that I became obssessed with. I don't know how anyone else feels, but there have been times in my life that I have been so focused on special interests that it seems like the special interests are part of my identity, and letting go of them feels like letting go of a part of me. I would never hold on to anything if it wasn't part of a special interest pursuit.
My wife had a family member that was a hoarder and often expresssed concern that my obsession with special interest related items might turn into hoarding, but I assured her this was not the case because my collected items were neatly stored away and well taken care of.
Here is a quote from this link: http://www.autism-help.org/comorbid-obsessive-compulsive.htm
| Quote: | | Obsessive-compulsive disorder can be a common comorbid condition with autism and Aspergers syndrome because of the tendency to become fixated and obsessive over certain ideas, objects and activities. |
My wife has OCD: germaphobe, towels have to be straight, etc. and she readily admits it, but she will never be a hoarder. This is clearly the kind of thing that I have associated with OCD, but since I didn't have the common traits, I didn't think I had any form of it. But now that I am older and some of the coping mechanisms I used in life no longer work, I realize I was obsessed with my coping mechanisms (strict routines to exercise, certain fabrics in clothes, certain brands of clothes that had a comfortable fit, etc.). I thought life was kind of like science, you experiment, find the things that work, and keep doing them, change was to be avoided because it might mess up the experiment.
I know my wife was afraid it was hoarding, so others might mislabel it as such. While I'm not suggesting that anyone posting has "OCD" or is a "Hoarder". I think the common behaviors people are describing are associated with Autism. While there are common elements of some of the behavior in the general population; they seem to be more prevalent with folks on the AS. |
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leejosepho
life student
Joined: Sep 15, 2009
Age: 63
Posts: 8118
Location: 200 miles south of Little Rock
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| Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 7:42 am Post subject: |
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| aghogday wrote: | | ... there have been times in my life that I have been so focused on special interests that it seems like the special interests are part of my identity, and letting go of them feels like letting go of a part of me. |
Yes, same here.
| Quote: | | My wife had a family member that ... often expressed concern that my obsession with special interest related items might turn into hoarding, but I assured her this was not the case because my collected items were neatly stored away and well taken care of. |
"Neatly stored away and well taken care of" is actually consistent with an accurate definition and understanding of responsible hoarding, and there is absolutely nothing categorically-wrong with responsible hoarding. Hoarding is only a "bad" thing when people do so in irrational, troubling or harmful ways (such as typically seen on TV).
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Pseudeos
Deinonychus
Joined: Aug 19, 2010
Age: 18
Posts: 387
Location: Australiaagh
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| Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 8:03 am Post subject: |
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My autistic uncle hoards shoe insoles, tiles, plastic toys and cans. His room got so crowded, he had to start hiding his collection under bushes.
_________________
"Are we not in the hands of a lunatic? God isn’t interested in technology. He knows nothing of the potential of the micro-chip or the silicon revolution. Look how he spends his time; 43 species of parrot! Nipples for men!" |
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the_curmudge
Phoenix
Joined: Aug 22, 2010
Age: 62
Posts: 612
Location: Florida
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| Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 1:17 pm Post subject: |
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I collect things related to my special interests and since I have a lot of interests, the interests are always in flux, and most would not seem worthy of my level of involvement to the average person, I must appear to be a hoarder. However, I don't keep ordinary things that can be easily replaced.
Also, I find that owning unique and meaningful objects helps me create a personal environment where I feel comfortable and validated, and to some extent replaces problematic social interaction. |
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Kiseki
I just ran out of Band-Aids
Joined: May 30, 2010
Age: 33
Posts: 1604
Location: Osaka JP
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| Posted: Tue Dec 21, 2010 10:52 am Post subject: |
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Hoarding is a subgroup of OCD/OCPD. Those can be comorbid in people with Aspergers.
I think the issue would be attributing an emotional bond to objects. |
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ScrewyWabbit
Phoenix
Joined: Oct 09, 2008
Age: 39
Posts: 734
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| Posted: Tue Dec 21, 2010 1:04 pm Post subject: I think... |
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| I have *slight* hoarding tendencies - I do a good job throwing things out and don't really feel that compelled to hang on to things or to collect stuff, but then things tend to sit in my closet for years unused and really unneeded. I think my tendencies are more of a learned behavior rather than anything inherently aspie, as my mom is not an aspie as far as I can tell, but is a pretty major hoarder and has been all my life - and I think she got it from her parents. |
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