Treatment of compulsive hoarding

J Clin Psychol. 2004 Nov;60(11):1143-54. doi: 10.1002/jclp.20079.

Abstract

Compulsive hoarding and saving symptoms, found in many patients who have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), are part of a clinical syndrome that has been associated with poor response to antiobsessional medications and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Specific CBT strategies targeting the characteristic features of the compulsive hoarding syndrome have had better results. This article provides an overview of the compulsive hoarding syndrome, a review of treatment approaches and their efficacy, a case presentation, and a detailed discussion of intensive, multimodal CBT for compulsive hoarding. New insights into the neurobiological characteristics of compulsive hoarding that might direct future treatment development are also presented.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Antipsychotic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Awareness
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy*
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Day Care, Medical
  • Desensitization, Psychologic*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / diagnosis
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / psychology
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / therapy*
  • Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / therapeutic use*

Substances

  • Antipsychotic Agents
  • Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors