9/12 h & s 5-4 Research Update Hoarding

9/12

H & S 5-4
Research Update

Hoarding
Prepared by: Gina Peek
Assistant Professor, Housing and Consumer Specialist

443 Human Sciences

Stillwater, OK 74078
  Phone: [phone]
[e-mail]

Mayo Clinic. (2011a). Hoarding definition, from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hoarding/DS00966

Mayo Clinic. (2011b). Hoarding risk factors, from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hoarding/DS00966/DSECTION=risk-factors

Pertusa, A., Frost, R. O., Fullana, M. A., Samuels, J., Steketee, G., Tolin, D., . . . Mataix-Cols, D. (2010). Refining the diagnostic boundaries of compulsive hoarding: A critical review. Clinical Psychology Review, 30(4), 371-386.

Tolin, D. F., Frost, R. O., & Steketee, G. (2007). An open trial of cognitive-behavioral therapy for compulsive hoarding. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45(7), 1461-1470.


Implications for Extension: We are not qualified to diagnose individuals. We can, however, be attuned to the fact that hoarding is a very real condition affecting individuals and their families.




Hoarding Defined

Hoarding is defined by the Mayo Clinic as the excessive collection of items, often with the inability to discard them (Mayo Clinic, 2011a). Pertusa et al. (2010) define hoarding as an excessive form of collectionism and inability to discard little valued objects, and note that significant clinical hoarding occurs in up to five percent of the population. Per the Mayo Clinic (2011b), risk factors include:

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  Age: Hoarding may start in adolescence, and may worsen with age
  
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  Family history: Having a close relative that is a hoarder increases likelihood
  
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  Traumatic event: Hoarding may result from death of a loved one, divorce, losing possessions (ex. house fire), etc.
  
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  Alcohol abuse: There is a connection between alcohol abuse and hoarding
  
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  Social isolation: Some hoarders collect and fail to discard due to loneliness; for others, hoarding is the cause and not the outcome of isolation
  

Just about anything can be hoarded, including objects, papers, food, and animals. Animal hoarding is of particular concern, not only due to the nature of squalor produced by animals but also cruelty factors.

Pertusa et al. (2010) also state that hoarding can be an enormous burden for those affected and their families. As seen on popular television shows, hoarding can have impacts on health, welfare, and safety in the home.
The Issue with Hoarding

As described by Pertusa et al. (2010), it is a perfectly normal human behavior to collect objects. Unlike normal collectors, the hoarder collects excessively and cannot throw away or let go of objects. Hoarders fill their homes with purchases and/or given or donated objects. Much work remains in determining the causes of hoarding. Pertusa et al. note that status of hoarding is debated in the literature. Some consider it a manifestation of obsessive-compulsive disorder; others treat it as a separate disorder. Regardless, hoarders are often unaware of the severity of the problem, qualifying their actions as normal behavior. Not surprisingly, these individuals will resist intervention or drop out of treatment.

As noted by Tolin, Frost, and Steketee (2007), hoarding can interfere with basic activities such as moving through the home, cooking, cleaning, and even going to bed. Hoarders create unhealthy homes and may be at increased risk for increased pest population, fires, and falls due to clutter.
Solutions for Hoarders

Tolin, Frost, and Steketee (2007) and Pertusa et al. (2010) acknowledge that hoarding can be difficult to treat. Some hoarders respond to pharmalogical treatment. As hoarders may reject intervention or drop out of treatment, making psychological intervention difficult. Some hoarders respond to well to cognitive-behavioral therapy.