Wang, 66, lives alone in a residential area in Jiading County, a western suburb of Shanghai, China. In the past few years, she has spent a large amount of her assets on buying cosmetics, functional foods and gold jewelry through livestreams, but has almost never used any of them.
Notably, Ms. Wang's entire apartment was almost filled with unpacked packages, from the floor to the ceiling, leaving her with no place to sleep. The basement garage she owns is also packed with goods, and a few months ago, she had to rent another apartment just to store things.
Ms. Wang admitted that she is addicted to online shopping and feels "excited" every time she spends money. However, the deeper reason is to... avoid borrowing money.
I sold my house in the city center to move to Jiading. People thought I still had a lot of money, so I kept trying to borrow. I choose to buy a lot of things, really messy, so that they can see and not hesitate to ask to borrow" - Ms. Wang shared.
According to her, "betting is also a way to protect yourself", because when you see an apartment full of goods, people will think you have spent all your money.
Ms. Wang's excessive hoarding has greatly affected the residential area. Many neighbors reported that her apartment had a foul smell, flies and mosquitoes appearing frequently around the area.
Last year, the residential area management board organized a large-scale cleanup with Ms. Wang's consent, but after only a few months, the hoarding situation recurred.
A neighborhood official said that Ms. Wang's daughter was living abroad, and her family members rarely visited her. The management board tried to contact relatives to advise her but to no avail.
Many experts believe that Ms. Wang may be suffering from storage disorder syndrome - a psychological manifestation often associated with depression and social anxiety.
Dr. Shi Yanfeng, Shanghai Center for Mental Health, said: Many elderly people suffer from reserved memories because they feel lonely and lack social interaction. Shopping and hoarding makes them feel like they are "doing something".
Dr. Yanfeng added that treating this syndrome requires a long time, not just short-term cleansing or advice.
