Compulsive hoarding

Learn more about Compulsive hoarding and other medical symptoms..

Below you can find further information on this medical area. All this information is freely available for re-distribution both privately and commercially, according to the GNU free documentation license.

While there is no definition of compulsive hoarding in accepted diagnostic criteria (such as the current DSM), Frost and Hartl1 provide the following defining features:

the acquisition of, and failure to discard, a large number of possessions that appear to be useless or of limited value
living spaces sufficiently cluttered so as to preclude activities for which those spaces were designed
significant distress or impairment in functioning caused by the hoarding

Case study
The following (edited) case study is taken from a published account2 of compulsive hoarding:

The client, D, lived with her two children, aged 11 and 14, and described her current hoarding behaviour as a 'small problem that mushroomed' many years ago, along with corresponding marital difficulties. D reported that her father was a hoarder and that she started saving when she was a child. In addition to hoarding, she reported several other obsessive-compulsive symptoms, such as fear of hurting others due to carelessness, an over-concern with dirt and germs, a need for symmetry and a need to know or remember things. D also suffered from a handwashing compulsion and engaged in lengthy cleaning rituals of household items. The volume of cluttered possessions took up approximately 70 per cent of the living space in her house. With the exception of the bathroom, none of the rooms in the house could easily be used for their intended purpose. Both of the doors to the outside were blocked, so entry to the house was through the garage and the kitchen, where the table and chairs were covered with papers, newspapers, bills, books, half-consumed bags of chips and her children's school papers dating back ten years.

Related conditions
It is not clear whether compulsive hoarding is a condition in itself, or simply a symptom of other related conditions3. Several studies have reported a correlation between hoarding and the presence and / or severity of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Hoarding behaviour is also related to obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). There may be an overlap with a condition known as impulse control disorder (ICD), particularly when compulsive hoarding is linked to compulsive buying or acquisition behaviour. However, some people displaying compulsive hoarding behaviour show no other signs of what is usually considered to be OCD, OCPD or ICD.

See also
animal hoarding
collecting
hoarding
impulse control disorder
obsessive-compulsive disorder
Notable compulsive hoarders:
the Collyer brothers
Edmund Trebus

Back to main Medical Symptom page

Can't find what you are looking for?
Use our site search facility...

Home I Search Site I Site map I Conditions I Symptoms I News Archive I Forum I Contact us I About us I Access Keys

All information published on this web site is for information purposes only. The content of this web site should not be used for a conclusive diagnosis or for choosing a treatment. The content on this site has been provided as a guideline and general information it is not intended to replace professional medical care. In all serious cases it is advisable to recieve attention from a qualified medical practitioner.