The status of hoarding as a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Hoarding is considered by many to be a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Yet although it is observed in people with OCD, hoarding symptoms also appear in a number of other psychological and psychiatric conditions. The present studies were conducted using samples of OCD patients, patients with other anxiety disorders, and a non-clinical sample to further elucidate the relationship between hoarding and OCD. Across two investigations, we found that (a) whereas OCD patients had higher scores than the other groups on non-hoarding symptoms, this was not the case for hoarding symptoms; (b) hoarding tended to correlate more weakly with other OCD symptoms (e.g., washing, checking) than these other symptoms intercorrelated; (c) items measuring hoarding had the weakest factor loadings when a measure of OCD symptoms was submitted to factor analysis; (d) hoarding symptoms were not correlated with global OCD or anxiety severity, whereas other OCD symptoms were; and (e) hoarding did not show consistent relationships with OCD-related cognitive variables. These results do not support a specific relationship between hoarding and OCD; and they call into question hoarding's status as a specific symptom of OCD. Results are also discussed in terms of the importance of functional assessment of hoarding and OCD symptoms.
Abramowitz
Jonathan S
JS
Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. jabramowitz@unc.edu
Wheaton
Michael G
MG
Storch
Eric A
EA
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires