Hoarding, Stockpiling, Panic Buying

Hoarding, Stockpiling, Panic Buying
While it may be normal to stockpile items in the face of an expected shortage, it is abnormal to retain an excess of items when the need passes. MBLifestyle/Shutterstock
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Symptoms of depression, anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorders have emerged or worsened for many during the pandemic. This is no surprise to clinicians and scientists around the world working to improve access to mental health information and resources.
But what effect has the pandemic had on another common but often misunderstood problem—hoarding? The issue first received attention when people piled up paper towels, toilet tissue, and hand sanitizer in their shopping carts at the start of the pandemic, leading some people to wonder whether they or a loved one were showing signs of hoarding disorder.
Carol Mathews 
Carol Mathews 
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