Hoarding is estimated to affect between 700,000 to 1.4 million people in the United States. This may be an underestimate, as many hoarders often do not seek help on their own. It is most common for hoarders to be brought to treatment by a loved one, or for the loved one to come in on their own seeking guidance. Anywhere from 25 to 30 % of people with OCD report at least some hoarding symptoms. At the Neurobehavioral Institute (NBI), we are committed to providing high-quality, compassionate care and services to our patients.

 

What Is Compulsive Hoarding?

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Hoarding Disorder is a separate diagnosis in the OCD and Related Disorders section of DSM-5. Compulsive hoarding refers to acquiring and not being able to discard items of little value, or to a point of excess that the number of items hoarded makes the living space in which the items are stored too small or crowded and unusable. Syllogomania and disposophobia are other names used throughout the years to describe compulsive hoarding.

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Compulsive hoarding does not discriminate. It can affect anyone regardless of age, gender, or socio-economic status. Although hoarding is commonly thought of to occur in the elderly, the first signs actually often begin between age 11 or 12 on average. As with many other OCD Related conditions, hoarding, if left untreated, will become more severe over time. It is also important to consider that all hoarders are not the same, and symptoms of hoarding can vary in severity.

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Symptoms of compulsive hoarding include:

• The unnecessary over-purchasing and/or stockpiling of items like canned foods, paper goods, and other household items

• Purchasing and storing bulk items but never using them

• Saving broken, irreparable, or useless things

• Regularly collecting discarded items from the trash

• The inability to throw things out

• An overwhelming fear of accidentally discarding something important

• Collecting things like newspapers, magazines, and other printed materials to an excessive degree

• Compulsive list-making and record-keeping of items unnecessarily

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Treating hoarding behavior early, if possible, can derail initial symptoms from becoming more severe.

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Get Compassionate Help from a Premier Compulsive Hoarding Specialist at NBI

As exemplified in DSM-5, Hoarding Disorder has features that are similar to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). However, there are also overlaps with ADHD (e.g. poor executive function, difficulty staying organized) and impulse control disorders as well. This profile complicates the treatment picture, e.g. hoarding is not as responsive to exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP) as is OCD. This does not mean, however, that hoarding is not treatable.

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​At NBI we are committed to helping our patients and their families and our Weston cognitive behavior therapy experts specialize in treating compulsive hoarding. We are an official Institutional Member of the International Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Foundation (IOCDF) and the American Board of Professional Psychology. We serve Weston, FL and the surrounding communities in Broward County, offer intensive treatment programs, and even provide Spanish- and Portuguese-language services.

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