Can collecting objects be pathological?

In principle, and as long as this hobby is cultivated in a controlled way, collecting objects is beneficial from a psychological point of view , since it allows the development of very positive skills and attitudes for the individual, such as perseverance, order, patience or memory. , among other. But doing it in an exaggerated way is a symptom of obsessive compulsive disorder (one of whose variants is known as "Diogenes Syndrome") and shopping addiction , two mental illnesses that affect approximately 12% of the population.

Francisca López Torrecillas, professor at the Department of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment at the University of Granada and an expert in addictions, warns that in recent years "a very significant increase has been detected" in cases in which exaggerated collecting has led to obsessive compulsive disorder or shopping addiction. The researcher highlights that traits such as an excessive need for control, perfectionism or meticulousness and order ? Are very common in people who have as a hobby to collect objects, but they are also closely related to the psychological disorders mentioned above.?

López Torrecillas affirms that collecting becomes an obsession, and therefore a problem, "in those subjects who present personal vulnerability", that is, they have a lack of self-esteem, few social skills and disorders when it comes to cope with setbacks. When this feeling of personal ineffectiveness appears, "compulsive collecting helps them feel better."