[GuB-42]

Gear Acquisition Syndrome is tied to compulsive buying and hording, both are recognized illnesses (in ICD-11).

Of course, just buying an oscilloscope in the course of learning electronics is not getting you in psychiatry. I mean, it is part of the basic toolkit, plus, you are actually using it. But if you start buying 5 different soldering irons with 10 different types of solder, every kind of pliers known to man, some very specific tool for some obscure use case you don't have, etc... it can negatively impact your quality of life, for example because of the clutter.

[bluescrn]

> Gear Acquisition Syndrome is tied to compulsive buying and hording, both are recognized illnesses (in ICD-11).

Which is a long way from 'throwing some disposable income at a hobby'.

If your 'gear acquisition' is getting you in debt, or excessively cluttering your home, you may have a problem. But otherwise, if you can afford it, and it's giving you some satisfaction to collect and fiddle with it, then why not?

Spending, say, $25k on hobby gear might seem excessive. But people don't get shamed for spending far more than that replacing/upgrading cars when they've got a perfectly decent one already.

And if you're buying quality gear, whether it's tools or musical instruments/equipment, it's likely to have a lifetime of several decades, it's not like you're buying junk that'll end up on a mountain of e-waste in a couple of years time.

[xattt]

> If your 'gear acquisition' is getting you in debt, or excessively cluttering your home, you may have a problem.

Hoarding syndrome happens gradually. It may appear normal for a while to an outside observer, until it’s not.

I think the hallmark of problematic collection would be how much someone holds onto a device when physical constraints for their home are met.

[samus]

People are treated when they or the people around them can no longer turn a blind eye to the problem. But it can have a very negative impact on people's lives long before it becomes clinically relevant. Just alone considering the vast amounts of time and money that go down the drain.

Similar to how it has long been recognized that modern lifestyle has a negative impact on our physical health if we are not mindful of it, we should start paying attention to mental health. The COVID Lockdowns were a wakeup call for many people.

[squarepizza]

> But people don't get shamed for spending far more than that replacing/upgrading cars when they've got a perfectly decent one already.

They should, considering the personal and external costs. Car lust keeps people on treadmills of debt. Manufacturing big metal blocks on wheels is not friendly for the physical and social environment either.