Compulsive hoarding

Compulsive hoarding is a condition, thought to be related to obsessive compulsive disorder, that involves the collection or failure to discard large numbers of objects even when they cause significant clutter and impairment to basic living activities such as cooking, cleaning or sleeping. Hoarding rubbish may be referred to as syllogomania.

Whilst 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 of impairment in functioning caused by the hoarding

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.

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). However, some people displaying compulsive hoarding behaviour show no other signs of what is usually considered to be OCD. There may also be an overlap with a condition known as impulse control disorder (ICD), particularly when compulsive hoarding is linked to compulsive buying or acquisition behaviour.

Notable compulsive hoarders:

  • Langley and Homer Collyer
  • Edmund Trebus

Table of contents
1 See also
2 External Links
3 References

See also

External Links

References

1Frost RO, Hartl TL. (1996) A cognitive-behavioral model of compulsive hoarding. Behavior Research and Therapy, 34 (4), 341-50.
2Hartl TL, Frost RO. (1999) Cognitive-behavioral treatment of compulsive hoarding: a multiple baseline experimental case study. Behavior Research and Therapy, 37 (5), 451-61.
3Steketee G, Frost R. (2003 Compulsive hoarding: Current status of the research. Clinical Psychology Review, 23 (7), 905-27.


In the News

Agent That Triggers Immune Response In Plants Is Uncovered
Although plants lack humans'T cells and other immune-function cells to signal and fight infection, scientists have known for more than 100 years that plants still somehow signal that they have been attacked in order to trigger a plantwide resistance. Botanists have now identified how plants signal that they have been attacked.

Gallery: Mac TivoToGo Screens
Take a tour of Roxio's new program for Mac OS, and enter the zone where you burn TiVo recordings straight to a DVD or your iPod.

Researchers Uncover New Way Nature Turns Genes On And Off
Peering deep within the cells of fruit flies, developmental biologists at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia may have discovered a new way that genes are turned on and off during development. If they're right, and the same processes are at work in higher organisms, including mammals, the findings could eventually have implications for improving the understanding of a range of diseases, including childhood cancer.

James Webb Space Telescope Marks Successful Completion
A preliminary design review has concluded and verified the integrated performance of all subsystems in the Optical Telescope Element on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. The Optical Telescope Element or OTE is the "eye"of the Webb Observatory.

Preliminary Earthquake Report: Magnitude 8.7, Northern Sumatra, Indone
Facts about the Southeast Asia earthquake of March 28, 2005. Provides a map and links to numerous related resources. From the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Earthquake Hazard Program.

Secret Routes to Freedom: The Underground Railroad Experience
An online exhibit on the Underground Railroad, the history of slavery in the United States, and slavery today. The "Routes"section features descriptions of the vast network of routes the slaves took to freedom. "Stories"focuses on the institution of slavery and the treatment of the slaves. Also includes learning tools, exhibitions, and related links. From the Institute for Research on the African Diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean (IRADAC).

Is Your Trailing Spouse a Significant Other?
Today’s blog post is a little bit of a cheat, it’s a re-run of a feature I wrote for HMSBeagle the now defunct life sciences webzine for its Adapt or Die column to which I contributed on a monthly basis for a couple of years. However, the content and sentiment (if not necessarily the cited [...]

[Scary] Pregnant woman says 'maternal instinct' helped her kill attack
FORT MITCHELL, Ky. - A pregnant woman who killed her attacker said a maternal instinct helped her fight off the woman who investigators believe was after her unborn child."I do believe that I fought harder because it was for my child,"Sarah Brady told ABC's "Good Morning America"in interviews aired Sunday and Monday. "It is a maternal instinct to protect your child to the very end."Katherine Smith, 22, died Thursday after luring Brady to her apartment to pick up a package supposedly delivered to the wrong address. When Smith pulled out a knife and attacked the pregnant woman, Brady fought back, striking Smith on the head with an ash tray and stabbing her three times with her own knife, police said. Brady, 26, said she didn't know Smith before the two met at Smith's apartment and can't be certain why Smith wanted to kill her."I really am not sure what was going through her mind,"Brady told ABC. "The only thing I thought was that she was going to kill me and my child and that is the only thing that ran through my mind."

Maryland's Poor, African-American Communities Suffer Disproportionate
New research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that Maryland communities that are poor and predominantly African-American incur a disproportionate cancer risk from ambient exposure to airborne toxins. Further, the researchers were able to identify the sources underlying the inequities.

Developers on iPhone SDK: OMG! ABFT!
The software industry gave a hearty cheer to Apple's announcement it will provide a software-development kit for the iPhone next spring.


MP3 Music Downloads

Preview songs, Download Free Music,Burn CDs at ITunes.com
iTunes_RGB_9mm

 

Google




InformationQuickFind.com - Find Information Fast

Links