DEFINITION

• Persistent "extreme" accumulation of possessions, with inability to discard them, even those of little actual value, leading to substantial clutter that inhibits the normal use of space for basic functions like cooking, cleaning, moving around the house, and sleeping. The symptoms cause clinically significant distress and/or impairment in functioning.[1]
• Hoarding disorder was previously classified as a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and is now considered its own entity given that many people who hoard do not exhibit other OCD symptoms. However, in some people hoarding behaviors may be symptomatic of OCD, and therefore diagnostic clarification is necessary (e.g. the hoarding is due to fears of contamination or harm, or symmetry obsessions).
• See figure illustrating compulsive hoarding.