Today's iPaper included a feature under the heading:

I’m a hoarder and I’m glad that it has been classified by the WHO as a mental disorder

It was about self-confessed hoarder Laura Horton, who is writing a play about hoarding and included an extended discussion of the 'problem which began with:

How many of us, when peering into a relative’s disorganised garage, or catching sight of a few pairs of shoes under a colleague’s desk, have laughingly accused them of being a hoarder? Perhaps we’ve watched, fascinated and repulsed, at TV shows such as Britain’s Biggest Hoarders, which feature homes stuffed to the gunwales with, well, stuff. If being a hoarder isn’t a punchline, it’s entertainment. It’s not entertainment – it’s a mental disorder But hoarding is neither. This week, it was classified as a mental disorder by the World Health Organisation, which explained that “accumulation of possessions results in living spaces becoming cluttered to the point that their use or safety is compromised. The symptoms result in significant distress or significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning.”