Do I have a Disorder?

Question

When it's time for spring cleaning at my house, my mom tells me to throw away some of my toys or give them away. Though for some reason, I can never throw away any of my toys, even the ones that are dusty and old. They all remind of a part of my life and I can't throw them away. I have about 200 toys in my garage and 10 on my bed. I am 14.

Is this natural, or do I have some sort of obsessive compulsive disorder?

Answer 1

I don't know about having a disorder but you do sound a little selfish. 200 toys in your garage? Why? Wouldn't it feel better to donate them to abused children who have nothing instead of leaving them in the garage to rot?

Answer 2

It’s normal to have attachment to things but it is unhealthy to keep them because of emotional attachment. It seems when you are young and have not HAD to part with anything of emotional value that it is difficult. If you don’t develop the ability to throw things away, you are headed toward having a disorder. Mental health disorders don’t just show up one day, and some are preventable if you stop the behaviors before they become obsessions. There are ways to preserve your memories without keeping all this unused stuff. You can get creative and use your old parts of your toys as a medium for an art project that you could display in your home. You could take photos of each toy and make a photo album of them, so they are still tangible to your mind but not piling up in the garage. I suggest keeping some that are extremely emotional to you or might be worth some money some day. For instance I am 32 years old and I still have the Grover that my mother was given at my baby shower, which I slept with off and on. I have about maybe a total of about 15 toys/stuffed animals from my early childhood but all are in use some how. For instance, I use my old radio flyer wagon for potted plants. I made a collage of old do-dads I had like drawings, notes, garbage pale kids, old friends school photos, concert tickets, awards, etc. and have since framed it and it looks quite nice still. I have some (not all) of my matchbox cars (yes I was a tomboy), books, and some other little things that my nieces, nephews, and god daughter can play with when they come over. But all that stuff can fit into one small box for the trip each time I move. You may be able to sell some and make money to get new stuff too.
I ask you, how you would feel if your entire home and all belongings were burnt down or lost somehow? How will you cope with that? This is how you can tell if you may have a disorder. If you can realize that your stuff is just stuff, it’s not your memories, than you will be fine. If you can do this you will see that you don’t need this stuff because you already have it in your soul.
I hope your gonna help your mom (or whoever) to clean all that junk out one day and not leave it to them, cause it’ll be harder on them getting rid of the stuff that reminds them of you, than it will be for you to say good bye to things of the past to make room for things of the future. Good Luck.

Answer 3

If your toys are the only item(s) that fall into this category I would not worry to much about it. Other things will replace their position and you will look back and smile about it, and maybe have some cool collectibles at that point, or some things to pass down to others. There is a disorder that we'll call "pack rat disorder" that results in ones desire to throw nothing away, sometimes including garbage. If you find difficulty discarding items from a variety of categories some counseling might be in order. For your situation, and remember there is a sentimental angle to the items you keep, I would say don't sweat it. At 14yrs there will be issues of greater concern on your plate soon enough!

Answer 4

Hi Happy,

No you don't have a disorder your young and you like to hold on to your memory's those toys bring along. But what you might like to do is take a little time with them and seperate some of the ones that you could do without. And persoanlly give away at a youth center to a young girl of 3-5 tell her what the bear meant to you and you hope she loves him, make a day of it...

Tho

Answer 5

Yes it's fine. I actually am 18 and I find it hard to through things away that have memories in them. What I did was dedicate a shelf in my room for certain items I could just not part with. Like my first stuffed animal, things that remind me of family members that have passed, pictures, and cards. It's perfectly normal.

Answer 6

i think you have a mild disorder. a few things come into play here. one is a kind of packrat syndrome where you surround yourself with objects from your past to make you feel safe and like you arent alone. the other thing is that you have carried over your childhood practice of imbuing your toys with human characteristics, like thinking they will feel abandoned if you dont play with them or that they will be hurt if you throw them away.
are you lonely? do you have friends at school or any guys you are interested in? do you have any other reason to suspect you might have ocd?
this might sound a little looney but maybe you should have a big bonfire and burn them all. it might be cathartic, and better than thinking of them rotting at the dump. its a fire hazard in your garage anyways. and its really not the sexiest thing in the world to have a bed covered in stuffed animals. you're old enough to get married in a 3rd world country. grow up and good luck.

Answer 7

It's the same for me. I always feel like someday I'll need it for something. It might be a obsessive compulsive tenancy...but not the disorder itself.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. I know quite a few people like that and they don't seem to mind it.

Answer 8

I don't think you have a disorder, you just like to hang on to your memories. You have to weigh the options and decide if it is more important for you to hang on to those memories by letting them stay in your garage and potentially become unusable or donate them to the Goodwill for example and let another child make memories of their own. Its your decision.

Answer 9

yeah I'm also keeping my best toys even until I'm 17 or 18... just because it's have so much memories of my happiness in childhood.. hahahaha.. no problems, by the time you become an adult, it will dissapear..

Answer 10

sounds more like you just have trouble throwing stuff out. you're a pack rat. so am i, it takes the right mood for me to go through all my stuff and toss it, then i end up throwing out most of it. maybe it would be easier for you if you donated them, then other kids could enjoy them like you did.