Pathological hoarding.

BACKGROUND

Compulsive hoarding is defined, in most cases, as 'the inability to resist the urge to acquire possessions and to discard possessions'. Compulsive hoarding has an early age onset, chronic course and significant levels of comorbidity and morbidity.

OBJECTIVE

This article outlines the essential features of compulsive hoarding occurring as a symptom factor of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and alludes to hoarding co-occurring in a range of disorders other than OCD. A test screening for compulsive hoarding is provided.

DISCUSSION: Compulsive hoarding occurs in illnesses other than OCD. Limited treatment studies have been completed only when compulsive hoarding is a symptom factor of OCD. These studies suggest that a pharmacological approach and multimodal cognitive behavioural therapy can achieve a moderate treatment outcome. The illness however is difficult to treat.