THERE can be many forms of the condition obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Footballer David Beckham has to count all of his clothes and his magazines have to be stacked in a straight line.

American filmmaker Howard Hughes is reported to have had a great fear of germs.

Oscar-winning comedy As Good As It Gets portrayed a character, played by Jack Nicholson, who ate breakfast at the same table in the same restaurant every day, using disposable plastic utensils he brought with him.

However, it is no laughing matter for Ian Sparks, from Clacton, who is battling an obsession of hoarding newspapers.

He has spoken about the disoder to raise awareness during OCD Action Week.

When Mr Sparks, 52, moved back into his mum’s house, in Burrsville Park, a year ago, he was faced with the stress of throwing out stacks of newspapers he hoarded in his East London home.

He said: “I keep newspapers and it did cause problems with my partner, but I had to be ruthless when I came to Clacton.

“The problem is throwing away stuff you think might be useful or that you might need it. It’s really tough with phone numbers and stuff in the back of the car.

“I used to work in insurance and kept a lot of back papers. The one week we threw them out, we needed one of them. I think it stems from that experience.

“I think we all have it to an extent, but a lot of people struggle with it, in different ways.”

Mr Sparks had some tests done seven years ago to try to identify the root of the problem, including brain scanning and tests involving radioactive dye.

He said: “They have done a lot of research. It’s caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. The chemicals go slowly through one part of the brain, like a silted-up stream.”

Mr Sparks found attending self-help groups and talking with other people suffering from the same disorder helped him overcome his problems and provide useful techniques.

He said: “It does get to you sometimes, but when you downsize, as I have, you have to simplify things.

“It’s good to nip it in the bud and now I try not to pick up leaflets I won’t need. I’ve still things to sort out and stuff in the attic, but I’m getting there. My family are very supportive.

“My message to people would be to contact a self-help group.”

Michael Jones, from charity OCD Action, said: “It is not always possible to tell whether somebody has the disorder.

“People with it often live lives designed to hide their internal pain, at a time when they should be receiving support, because they are ridiculed sometimes.

“One of the greatest challenges people with the disorder face is the need to fight all pervasive stigma of mental health disorders, and the widely held belief obessive-compulsive disorder is a mild or quirky problem, that is nothing more than hand washing.”

l There is a support group for sufferers in Ipswich. For more information, call Paul Maguire on 01473 212536 or 07922 973916, or visit www.ocdaction.org.uk /supportgroups/eastern/ ipswich/