To outsiders, compulsive hoarding (or "hoarding disorder") might just seem like a crazy need to hoard random junk. But the reality is that it's a serious mental condition that has been linked to depression, anxiety and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.



In her photo series The Art of Keeping, UK-based photographer Paula Salischiker manages to capture the real effects of this mental illness while at the same time giving those who suffer from it the dignity that they deserve.
Since 2011 I have been working on a project about hoarding. I photograph the houses of people who have difficulty in throwing things away. Their objects help them feel safe, they take their time, they require their care and are there for them. However, they also make their lives difficult, sometimes forcing them out of their own homes, suffocating them with their never ending expansion.
So while it's easy to assume that hoarding can simply be "fixed" by bullying the person to clean house, there's actually a lot more going on than meets the eye. Here's hoping that the subjects in Paula's book get the help that they need.