Plyushkin syndrome: how to fight, symptoms, causes and treatment

Probably everyone agrees with the simple truth that a penny saves a ruble. And in principle, there is nothing wrong with reasonable savings, but only as long as the desire does not turn into a pathological form. Plyushkin syndrome or pathological hoarding is the name of a psychopathological syndrome manifested by the collection and storage of various things that, in general, a person does not need in such quantities. If the desire to buy more napkins on sale and bring home a lamp thrown away by someone becomes uncontrollable, this is a reason to think about psychopathology.

About the syndrome

Plyushkin syndrome most often occurs in older people, but sometimes young people with this syndrome are also found

Psychopathology owes its name to the hero of Gogol’s novel “Dead Souls”. The character is presented as a pathologically stingy landowner, cluttering his home with various household rubbish. At the same time, the need to part with precious rubbish caused Plyushkin great suffering. The disorder is also called Massey syndrome and syllogomania.

The essence of the syndrome is fully revealed in the official name of the disorder - pathological hoarding syndrome. It is extremely important for a person with this disorder to bring home everything that could theoretically be of value to him. As a rule, we are talking about all kinds of household rubbish, and even broken and faulty things fall into the patient’s sphere of interest. “What if it comes in handy” - this is how people with this disorder justify their actions, continuing to bring home various items, most often found in a landfill, donated by someone as unnecessary, or purchased at a big discount.

Important! The disorder is manifested not only by collecting, but also by pathological greed and abnormal economy.

Psychopathology is diagnosed in older people and borders on Diogenes syndrome or senile squalor syndrome, but in psychiatric practice doctors often deal with young people with Plyushkin syndrome. Pathological hoarding poses a serious problem not only for the patient himself, but also for those around him, so the disorder must be combated.

Stages of development

What Plyushkin syndrome is can be clearly seen in this photo:

Like other diseases, syllogomania develops gradually. At first, a person refuses to say goodbye to old things that should go to the trash heap. Then he begins to store everything, even broken down equipment and torn clothes. Next comes the collecting stage: “Plyushkin” picks up unnecessary things from landfills and garbage containers that seem necessary and useful to him.

Often neglected patients allow dozens of stray animals into the house, turning the home into a foul-smelling shelter. Plyushkin syndrome becomes a real problem not only for the patient’s relatives, but also for his neighbors.

Reasons for violation

The exact causes of psychopathology are unknown, but the problem is usually associated with some kind of traumatic factor in the person's past. Pathological hoarding can occur against the background of:

• loneliness;
• financial problems in childhood;
• depression;
• obsessive-compulsive disorder;
• schizophrenia;
• senile dementia (dementia).

Quite often single people experience pathological hoarding. As patients say, they simply have nothing to occupy their lives, and the accumulation of various items that presumably may be useful in the future becomes a kind of hobby.

One of the reasons may be lack of attention and financial troubles in a person’s childhood. If the child did not receive gifts, and in general the family denied itself in many ways, in adulthood he may still have a fear of lack of means of subsistence, which manifests itself in the desire to collect and accumulate necessary household items in his home.

This problem is also faced by people whose childhood and youth were years of scarcity. As a rule, this cause is common in the post-Soviet space, so the average age of patients is over 45 years.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD is another cause of the syndrome. In this case, pathological hoarding can act as an obsession, which a person cannot get rid of without medical help.

In patients with schizophrenia, the urge to collect is a secondary disorder. As a rule, this manifests itself in the search for discarded things, most often some kind of rubbish. At the same time, a patient with schizophrenia sees something different in every thing found; often the value of the finds defies logical explanation.

Senile dementia is a disorder that affects about 3% of older people over 70 years of age. It represents a change in personality and a decline in cognitive abilities. Plyushkin's syndrome in this case borders on Diogenes' syndrome, and the person, in addition to the craving for collecting rubbish, demonstrates complete neglect of himself, some aggressiveness and lack of a sense of shame.

Symptoms

Patients are not able to think critically about their condition, so they rarely seek special help, considering their “hobby” to be absolutely normal. Diogenes syndrome can be suspected based on the following signs:

• pathological passion for hoarding;
• negative and aggressive reaction to condemnation, inability to self-criticize;
• neglect of hygiene rules;
• greed;
• attempts to isolate yourself from society;
• indifference to others;
• lack of shame.

Patients with Diogenes syndrome bring absolutely everything into the house: glass, broken furniture, even rotten vegetables and fruits. Often these accumulations smell unpleasant, and rats and cockroaches infest the house. A person with Diogenes syndrome, in addition to himself, suffers from relatives and neighbors. Attempts on the “collector’s” collection and attempts to get rid of it are met with severe rebuff, even leading to family quarrels. Patients become secretive, taciturn, and may not go out for a long time, considering communication with people pointless. Due to neglect of hygiene, they often suffer from various ailments, but do not seek medical help. The consequences of such an attitude towards yourself and others can be very sad.

What distinguishes those suffering from Diogenes syndrome is a complete absence of a sense of shame: they can look like homeless people, relieve themselves wherever they want, and do whatever comes to their mind. Sometimes this becomes a reason for the police to detain a person.

A characteristic sign of the disorder may be that patients, even with a stable financial situation, count every penny spent and are very upset due to what they consider to be high expenses. There are cases when people moved to a garbage dump so as not to spend money on maintaining the apartment.

Any of these symptoms should alert relatives and neighbors and serve as a reason to call a specialized medical team.

How does Plyushkin syndrome manifest?

The first sign is when it is morally very difficult to say goodbye to old things, and even if the thing is definitely no longer useful, you really don’t want to part with it

With Plyushkin syndrome, the causes can be varied, but most often a person is not aware of the abnormality of his behavior. Manifestations, signs and symptoms of Plyushkin syndrome manifest themselves in different ways. In psychiatry, a five-point scale has been adopted to classify the severity of the disorder. The first level of Plyushkin syndrome is the accumulation of potentially useful things, their organization and provision of free access to furniture and communications. The most difficult, the fifth level, is characterized by the inability to part with rubbish, cluttering of the home, inability to access communications (bathroom, kitchen, toilet) due to piles of various things.

Plyushkin syndrome can manifest itself in different ways. At the very beginning of the development of pathology, a person experiences a reluctance to part with unnecessary things, which over time transforms into the need to accumulate various items. As a rule, “Plyushkins” find themselves in collecting and hoarding simple everyday things, rather than collecting rarities and wonders.

Storing unnecessary things

Plyushkin syndrome is a mental illness that develops in several stages and is characterized by different symptoms. As a rule, the disease begins with the fact that a person simply cannot part with unnecessary things. Often the first symptoms make themselves felt in adolescence, and are finally transformed into psychopathology by the age of 30-35.

Everyone, when carrying out general cleaning and auditing of existing things, asks the question of what they really need and what it’s time to part with. It is absolutely normal for a person to regret that it is time to throw away some thing, especially if it reminds of some period in his life. With Plyushkin syndrome, throwing away unnecessary things is problematic for a person. The thought “what if it’s needed” arises in his head, so the unnecessary item is simply moved to the far corner.

At first, everything looks harmless enough, and the inability to part with unnecessary trash can be mistaken for sentimentality. Over the years, the problem takes on a serious turn, since a person’s home does not change, but only becomes cluttered as new things are acquired, since the old ones remain in their places.

It is interesting that a person does not experience sentimentality as such in relation to stored things. That is, everything that “Plyushkin” cannot part with is not things that are memorable to the heart, but ordinary broken and unnecessary trash.

Collecting discarded items

In people with Plyushkin syndrome, the accumulation of discarded things, over time, takes on a manic form

This variant of the manifestation of Plyushkin syndrome becomes a real problem for others. In essence, collecting discarded items is storing at home various rubbish that a person brought from a landfill. This could be broken furniture, empty containers, discarded books and other items.

A person with the syndrome spends a lot of time near garbage cans, methodically going through all the landfills, looking for potentially useful items. Moreover, the things brought are never used for their intended purpose, but are simply dumped in one heap in the home of a sick person.

All this is fraught with unsanitary conditions, since the things brought are not processed or washed. Older people are more likely to experience this manifestation of the syndrome. For them, the accumulation of discarded things takes on a manic form and is accompanied by pathological greed, so landfills and garbage cans become places of daily visit.

Pet hoarding

This norm of Plyushkin syndrome is a serious social problem, and is often mistaken for cruelty towards animals. The problem is exacerbated if a person lives in an apartment building with neighbors who suffer from numerous pets.

A striking manifestation of this form of pathology is the image of a crazy cat lady, widely used in cinema and animation. A person with such a disorder brings home all the stray animals, not paying attention to the fact that the living space is not enough to comfortably keep the pets. A person may have a dozen dogs, thirty cats, and countless rodents, such as rabbits, in his apartment.

At the same time, there is no proper care for animals. Pets often do not receive the necessary nutrition, “Plyushkin” does not monitor the hygiene of animals and their reproduction. The consequence is the rapid reproduction of pets in an apartment or house, complete unsanitary conditions, and the risk of contagious infections transmitted from animals to people also increases.

You can become familiar with this disease by studying a photo of the home of a person with Plyushkin syndrome. For example, one person had rabbits all over his apartment; there were more than 50 of them in a small area. Naturally, the entire apartment was dirty with animal feces, since the patient simply physically could not cope with cleaning up after so many animals.

The problem of animal hoarding involves conflicts with neighbors and the law, since keeping a large number of pets borders on cruelty to animals. It should be noted that a patient with this psychopathological syndrome sincerely loves his pets and does not try to harm them, but does not realize that animals cannot live in unsuitable conditions.

Plyushkin syndrome and shopaholism

Before you figure out how you can get rid of Plyushkin syndrome, you should be able to distinguish it from shopaholism.

First of all, Plyushkin syndrome involves receiving something for free or for next to nothing. Therefore, patients do not neglect garbage cans and landfills, and are happy to take away what their friends plan to throw away. Shopaholism has another goal - to acquire some thing regardless of its cost. Typically, shopaholism does not have a clear goal, but is limited to the purchase of various items, while “Plyushkinism” borders on pathological greed, so a person takes home everything that he got for nothing.

In rare cases, both violations overlap, but then the “plushkins” become preoccupied with purchasing various, often unnecessary, things on sales and at a deep discount.

Kinds

Plyushkin syndrome is a mental illness that develops according to the same pattern of pathological hoarding.

Despite this, experts identify several types of manifestations of the disease:

• "collecting". Real collecting involves the systematic collection and study of any objects that are homogeneous in content or have a common theme. Patients with Plyushkin syndrome most often acquire or collect various little things that are not related to each other;
• vintageism. Vintageism should also be distinguished from collecting antiques; the collector does not consider the objects of his collecting as household appliances or items of clothing. Patients with Plyushkin syndrome turn their home into a museum and actively use collected antique objects;
• purchasing pets. A common manifestation of Plyushkin syndrome is associated with “collecting” animals, especially cats or dogs. Patients often have them in very large numbers, which leads to unsanitary conditions in the house, lack of free space and unpleasant odors;

  

• collecting things that may be “useful” in the future. The most famous type of collecting initially manifests itself in a mild form: a person, instead of throwing away an unnecessary thing, puts it aside, explaining this with concern for the future, when it can be useful. Following this logic, the patient collects a huge amount of rubbish, which takes up a lot of space in the house, leaving no room for ordinary household items. At the same time, the possibility of getting rid of some things causes uncontrollable fear in a patient with the syndrome, so it is very difficult for him to get rid of the obsessive state on his own;
• conservatism The so-called type of gathering is associated with the clogging of fruits, berries and vegetables. The patient can become so carried away by his occupation that jars of food can occupy entire pantries and part of the rooms;
• memory of loved ones. This type of hoarding is associated with the desire to preserve everything that is left of a loved one who died in the past or left the patient.

Hoarding also develops in certain stages:

Why is the syndrome dangerous?

The homes of people with Plyushkin syndrome pose a danger to others due to their unsanitary conditions

Treatment of Plyushkin syndrome is necessary, since the disorder poses a serious threat to both the person himself and those around him. If at the first stage changes in the home are not yet noticeable, then already at the third stage the home becomes cluttered. The habit of taking home trash from landfills leads to unsanitary conditions. As the syndrome progresses, a person stops paying attention to hygiene, his home becomes so littered with rubbish that the patient often has no access to a bath or bedroom. Often such people prefer to spend the night on the street, since there is simply no place to stay at home, because everything is littered with rubbish and garbage. Unsanitary conditions lead to problems with neighbors, who often complain about unpleasant odors and dirt. In addition, cluttering the premises is contrary to fire safety standards.

Illness or sloppiness?

Where are the roots of this mysterious mental disorder and can we consider ourselves insured against this disaster? Scientists from the University of California, who have been studying this disease for a long time, have come to the conclusion that the passion for collecting lies in the human brain. As children, many of us diligently collected stamps, postcards, badges, coins, and, finally, ordinary candy wrappers.

With age, this passion passes for some, while for others it develops into a serious hobby. Where is the line beyond which a harmless and completely natural desire to possess something turns into illness is still not clear. Studies have shown that people with an uncontrollable habit of collecting everything have certain differences in the structure of the brain. They have relatively weak development of the cortex of the frontal lobes of the brain, especially the right hemisphere. This, according to experts, explains their strange behavior - after all, it is in this area that the center that controls the rationality of actions is located.

A decrease in the activity of this part of the brain leads to the fact that a person begins to commit actions that defy logical explanation. Unfortunately, Diogenes syndrome, especially in the early stages of the disease, is difficult to diagnose. It can easily be confused with ordinary eccentricity or carelessness.

The underlying causes of an unusual illness may also include previous stress, bereavement, loneliness, head injury, surgery, or previous illnesses such as encephalitis. Scientists have found that most often Diogenes syndrome affects people who previously led an active lifestyle, received a good education and were successful in society.

Features of treatment

If a person is diagnosed with Plyushkin syndrome, how to deal with the problem depends on its stage. To combat pathological hoarding at the initial stage, when a person simply cannot part with unnecessary things, general cleaning under the supervision of a loved one is indicated. It is up to the friend or relative to decide which items are most likely to be thrown away. In this case, you should first visit a doctor who will help you cope with negative emotions while cleaning your home.

It is necessary to get rid of Plyushkin syndrome with the help of cognitive behavioral therapy - this will help restrain impulses to bring home unnecessary trash. To combat Plyushkin syndrome, medications may be indicated, for example, antidepressants and antipsychotics, but only if concomitant mental disorders are identified.

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Operation Motivation

The need to clean the house can be motivated by the concern that the “collection” is kept in order (“otherwise it will be inconvenient to look at it”). It is important to convey to the person the idea that he needs to keep his room clean, even if victims of Diogenes syndrome have a unique concept of order. Psychiatrists advise appealing to the consciousness of patients by the fact that it is uncomfortable to be in their room and there is nowhere to sit, and that close people may not like it there.

It is also important to try to show interest in the “treasures” of your loved one and communicate with him at least once a week about his “hobbies”. And it is imperative to show how important and interesting this person and what he does to his family are. You need to remain a loving relative, ready to help, so that a person with such a problem can be confident in his future. Of course, this is not easy, especially since patients with Diogenes syndrome often strive for isolation, treat others with great prejudice, and sometimes are simply aggressive. But you need to try to establish contact with them. Moreover, such “home psychotherapy” often gives positive results.

If the disease has gone far, it is better to be treated in a psychiatric clinic. Although a patient can be placed there only with his consent or by declaring him incompetent, that is, by a court decision. And according to doctors, at least half of patients with this disease are quite healthy, and they do not require compulsory medical care. After all, such behavior is still regarded as a lifestyle.

History of the term

The pathology was named after the Gogol character in the poem “Dead Souls” Stepan Plyushkin, in the past a thrifty, wise owner, who over time turned into a degenerate, “asexual” person. The author, describing the external degradation and spiritual decay of his hero, fully conveyed the symptoms of a mental disorder.

Previously, the landowner was known as one of the rich, had a wife and two children. He received guests and gladly shared his skills as a zealous host. The death of his wife was the first psychological trauma, then the daughter disobeyed and left home, and the son did not live up to expectations. All these factors triggered the onset of the disease. When there were no relatives left around the hero, a feeling of greed and a desire to hoard gradually began to develop in him. The disease became chronic, and stinginess became pathological.

The character of the poem carried into his house everything that came his way - from a leaky bucket to a goose feather. The farm was falling into disrepair, the owner's appearance consisted of rags, although there were things lying in the barns and grain was rotting. The man was thin, emaciated, with shifty eyes, a morbid thirst for profit and developed kleptomania (petty theft). Subsequently, the name of the stingy landowner became a household name.

Plyushkin's disease is combined with Diogenes syndrome. These characters have completely different motivations for eccentric behavior, but the pathology occurs with symptoms of both types. The life of the Greek philosopher in a barrel was a protest against social canons and proof of asceticism. In medicine, this mental disorder is typical for patients with complete indifference to their own personality.