I wonder how many manifestations of OCD there are? And, what causes it? I thought the person I know got that way during all the rationing during WWII. That, and the strict German heritage. When I was in Germany in late November, I learned that they are a conservation-driven people and consider Americans to be very wasteful people. : (
I don't know. Many mental illnesses take on different and varying forms.
I mentioned somewhere in the thread that my mother stored a lot of stuff, and she too was a child of the Great Depression. Seems to me that just about everyone I know who lived at that time tends to stockpile things. The Depression so traumatized many of them that they feel they have to keep a lot of things around, "just in case."
My father used to keep a lot of tools and other "guy things", but I think it had more to do with the fact that he often let things get cluttered. He would buy, say, a hammer...then the hammer would be buried under some stuff so that he couldn't find it, so he'd go out and buy another hammer. After he died, my brother undertook the task of cleaning out Dad's workshop, and he found so many duplicates of things. Most of the basic tools I have in my own home -- hammers, pliers, wrenches, screwdrivers, etc. -- came from Dad's duplicative collection.
My brother and I both have times when we live in clutter. Is it an inherited trait or something learned? I tend to think it's the latter. However, none of us -- my parents, brother or I -- never got to the point where our homes became unliveable. I think that's where the line would be crossed, and professional intervention might be necessary.