title: [Pathological hoarding by children and adolescents].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a dearth of knowledge and understanding concerning hoarding by children and adolescents. Psychiatrists need to know more about the phenomenon of hoarding since it can be a marker of psychopathology and it sometimes is symptomatic of a psychiatric disorder.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To review hoarding from an epidemiological and psychopathological perspective and to discuss it in relation to the developmental aspect of the first object acquisition: the transitional object.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a literature search in PubMed, Medline, PsycINFO and the Cochranedatabase using primarily the search term ‘hoarding', but also in combination with the terms: primates, child, adolescent, psych*, klepto*, transitional object, obsessive-compulsive disorder, collecting and attachment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both animals and humans engage frequently in collecting and hoarding. Up to 60% of normally functioning children and adolescents are involved in collecting. A strong emotional attachment to possessions may be a response to an attachment problem. Hoarding combined with psychopathology is seen in persons of all ages but the prevalence rates for children and adults are unknown.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hoarding is a worrisome type of behaviour which must be regarded as an indication of serious comorbid psychopathology. It can occur either as a symptom of an existing disorder or as a separate disorder. Finally we recommend that hoarding be included in the diagnostic criteria of the dsm and icd.
authors.affiliation: Medisch Centrum Sint-Jozefte Munsterbilzen en in de Dagkliniek voor Kinderen Jeugdigen te Hasselt.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aerts
authors.forename: E P C J
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Janssen
authors.forename: N J J F
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Janssen
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Boogaard
authors.forename: J M C
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Fincken
authors.forename: L P A
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Voogd
authors.forename: G Th J
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: van Well
authors.forename: J N M
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Schieveld
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D000067836:Hoarding Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009770:Obsessive Behavior; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales