Is Hoarding a Symptom of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

摘要

The presence of hoarding symptoms in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a commonly reported phenomenon. How these symptoms are to be understood is less clear. The extent to which hoarding fits with other symptoms of OCD by considering its diagnostic utility and underlying cognitive processes is evaluated. In the first stud); hoarding symptoms did not differentiate OCD patients from individuals with other anxiety disorders or unscreened students, indicating that hoarding does not inform diagnostic decision making. In the second stud); using an independent nonclinical sample, cognitive variables related to OCD were distinct from hoarding-specific cognitions, and not predictive of hoarding symptoms. These results add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that hoarding is not a symptom or manifestation of OCD. The need for careful assessment of the function of hoarding symptoms is discussed.