Hoarding in obsessive-compulsive disorder: results from the OCD Collaborative Genetics Study.
Hoarding behavior occurs frequently in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Results from previous studies suggest that individuals with OCD who have hoarding symptoms are clinically different than non-hoarders and may represent a distinct clinical group. In the present study, we compared 235 hoarding to 389 non-hoarding participants, all of whom had OCD, collected in the course of the OCD Collaborative Genetics Study. We found that, compared to non-hoarding individuals, hoarders were more likely to have symmetry obsessions and repeating, counting, and ordering compulsions; poorer insight; more severe illness; difficulty initiating or completing tasks; and indecision. Hoarders had a greater prevalence of social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder. Hoarders also had a greater prevalence of obsessive-compulsive and dependent personality disorders. Five personality traits were independently associated with hoarding: miserliness, preoccupation with details, difficulty making decisions, odd behavior or appearance, and magical thinking. Hoarding and indecision were more prevalent in the relatives of hoarding than of non-hoarding probands. Hoarding in relatives was associated with indecision in probands, independently of proband hoarding status. The findings suggest that hoarding behavior may help differentiate a distinct clinical subgroup of people with OCD and may aggregate in some OCD families. Indecision may be a risk factor for hoarding in these families.
Samuels
Jack F
JF
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Meyer 4-181, Baltimore, MD 21287-7228, USA. jacks@jhmi.edu
Bienvenu
O Joseph
OJ
Pinto
Anthony
A
Fyer
Abby J
AJ
McCracken
James T
JT
Rauch
Scott L
SL
Murphy
Dennis L
DL
Grados
Marco A
MA
Greenberg
Benjamin D
BD
Knowles
James A
JA
Piacentini
John
J
Cannistraro
Paul A
PA
Cullen
Bernadette
B
Riddle
Mark A
MA
Rasmussen
Steven A
SA
Pauls
David L
DL
Willour
Virginia L
VL
Shugart
Yin Y
YY
Liang
Kung-yee
KY
Hoehn-Saric
Rudolf
R
Nestadt
Gerald
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D003192:Compulsive Behavior; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology*; D010551:Personality; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales