Emma Beagley Was Ashamed of Hoarding and Couldn’t Move On

Her psychologist recognised she was "bordering on hoarder status", Beagley said. She would need a solution before she could move forward.

She contacted Anna Davies and Sarah Sampson, who founded The Good Sort four years ago. The Bristol-based service, in Shirehampton, offers practical and emotional help to people overwhelmed by their belongings.

"They needed my input to tell them how they could help me to rearrange my living space so that I didn't have to spend so much of my energy and time explaining things to carers," Beagley said.

Why people hold on

The World Health Organisation formally classified hoarding disorder as a mental health condition in 2018. An estimated four million people in the UK live with it.

People who struggle to organise their belongings often report mental health issues and a sense of being out of control, according to decluttering and mental health professionals. The mess can bring embarrassment and shame.

Davies said clients usually arrive overwhelmed and unsure where to start. "Decluttering is about asking yourself why you're holding on to the things you're holding on to," she said.

She said belongings can connect people to old identities, lost capabilities, financial guilt and difficulty accepting change. "But the 'what ifs' keep you locked into living in the past," she added.

Marketing and guilt

Chloe Wright, who runs Goddess Organising in Frome, Somerset, said many clients had been "manipulated" by marketing into buying more than they needed.

She described people who spent heavily on makeup and cosmetics they no longer use. They still cannot let go because they feel guilt-tripped and do not want to add to landfill.

Not just the surface problem

Gemma Mason, a psychotherapist from Trowbridge in Wiltshire with 26 years in practice, said the underlying causes need attention. Clearing items alone is not enough.

"We have to be careful of removing the surface problem, but not the underlying psychological need, which is not met if you just take items away," she said.

Wright said clients often feel "embarrassed and ashamed" when they first meet her, but that changes once the process starts. Each decision can be slow and traumatic, and the work involves coaching and negotiating.

"By the end of the day, they've realised that the world hasn't burnt down by removing this thing and their decisions get easier," she said.