Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

I can't think of a single healthy behavior that is not occasionally taken to an unhealthy extreme by people with a disorder.

The term hoarding is problematic because it is lacking a clear line even more than other potentially pathological behaviors, there is absolutely no consensus where having some stuff that you don't exactly use daily ends and pathological hoarding begins. Even alcohol consumption seems clear-cut by comparison. Combined with the smugness of how self-congratulatory "minimalists" will look down on everybody who has slightly different standards than them, and the unfortunate coincidence that disorder (as in chaotic) shares a linguistic token with disorder (as in mental health) it makes it incredibly hard to have a meaningful discussion about the topic.

(I write "minimalist" in quotes because far too many self-identifying minimalists are not minimal at all, they are just eagerly disposing to drive their consumerism to eleven, new and shiny every time)



The disorder line is always fairly clear cut for all mental issues. The question is if it interferes with daily life not of if it’s odd.


Problem is, if I want to be a different sex, that will very much interfere with my daily life. The definition does not hold for what we currently accept.


Interference means more than just change in this context.

Being significantly afraid of flying may be irrational and unpleasant, but the line is at the point where you’re incapable of dealing with that fear.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: