We've heard of hoarding disorders but...

[HellHammer]

This sounds less like a disorder and more like a philosophy...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asceticism

Can't it be both?

A disorder would be if they are compulsively doing it.

Example: I am highly paranoid. I isolate myself from society. I don't like medicines or foods that affect my mental stability. I also am weary of eating food I don't grow from my own garden. This does not make me Straight Edge, but my behavior can be classified as such.

I've never come across that page on wiki before, but funny how they mention "In many parts of the United States, straight edge is treated as a gang;", which is exactly my experience. Admittedly, a pretty minor issue for a music scene overall though.

Paranoia, abstinence, and diets? More like tattoos, bad tunes, shit talk, and fist fights.


Back to the OP, I'd say it's normal and comes with the territory of collecting. When my SNES collection got to the point where I had to keep half of it in the garage, I knew it was time to downsize.

[pakopako]

In order for anything to be classified as a disorder, it must impede on your daily life. Psychology is subjective unless the disorder has a clear biological basis(downs syndrome).

Also... pakopako- none of those things you mentioned have to do with straight edge :wink

Better put fvgazi. (Po-tay-to, po-tah-to I suppose HellHammer.)
All I know is that I've been mistaken for being one when I'm just a paranoid little misanthrope.

[fvgazi]

In order for anything to be classified as a disorder, it must impede on your daily life. Psychology is subjective unless the disorder has a clear biological basis(downs syndrome).

Also... pakopako- none of those things you mentioned have to do with straight edge :wink

Better put fvgazi. (Po-tay-to, po-tah-to I suppose HellHammer.)
All I know is that I've been mistaken for being one when I'm just a paranoid little misanthrope.

That's okay. It's the second most wrongly used word next to emo.

[Ivo]

I think it could only be a disorder if it is compulsive, and if so I would say (as a non-expert) that it may very well be a particular manifestation of OCD or something like that.

I have heard / read anecdotal accounts of an artist that compulsively want to destroy her own finished artworks (possibly perfectionist to the extreme?), and another artist that frequently goes through the drawers etc. and throws away every thing. The latter is probably a rather extreme case though, presumably the family has already learned to live rather frugally to minimise the financial hit when it happens.

Ivo.

[saturnfan]

In order for anything to be classified as a disorder, it must impede on your daily life. Psychology is subjective unless the disorder has a clear biological basis(downs syndrome):

I agree with this. Unless purging your life of material goods is adversely effecting your life, then yes, I would say you have a problem.

However, just wanting to live a minimalistic lifestyle does not qualify.

[The Last Horseman]

Don't worry about it. I've done this before with video games, and I actually feel better after getting rid of games that I have no want to replay.

Oh, and this is for saturnfan's sig.



It is very deserving of it.

[fvgazi]

I agree with this. Unless purging your life of material goods is adversely effecting your life, then yes, I would say you have a problem.

However, just wanting to live a minimalistic lifestyle does not qualify.

Exactly! If it's not bothering the person doing it or anyone else... who cares (besides the person doing it)?

If there is no harm done, then it is creating order... not disorder. Collecting games despite not being able to pay for them and put food on your table or pay rent. This would be an obsession or addiction. It doesn't even really matter what the heck you call it because it's messing up your life. Although, you could always argue that a person would value games more than that stuff.

Also - compulsions are just one extremely tiny corner of "disorders". For OCD you need an irrational obsession (afraid you will be killed by germs) and a compulsion (i must clean myself as much as i can so i won't be killed by germs). There are impulsive, anxiety, personality (very hard to treat), eating, addictive, and more disorders.

Getting rid of video games? If it makes you feel good, go for it! You can always revisit them later in life for whatever reason. Every single person can be deduced to having some kind of disorder. It's very Pessimistic! I can't wait to get out of my field (psych) and do something more constructive with my life. I enjoy helping people, but i hate deducing them.

[pakopako]

I enjoy helping people, but i hate deducing them.

Sometimes figuring out how a person thinks gives you foresight on their future actions.
An ounce of prevention versus a pound of cure and all that.

[arion]

It's actually good to get rid of stuff you don't need anymore be it games or whatever.

[icemanfan44]

for every binge there is a purge.

sounds like wisdom to me.