Treatment of Compulsive Hoarding
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.
(Reprinted with permission from the Journal of Clinical Psychology 2004; 60(11): 1143–1154)