Event Title
What has the Power? Understanding the Neurobiological Basis of Hoarding
Location
Diamond 145
Start Date
1-5-2014 10:30 AM
End Date
1-5-2014 12:00 PM
Project Type
Presentation
Description
How do we classify compulsive hoarding? Is it its own neurological/psychological disorder or a subset of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCD)? Before classifying it one must know that compulsive hoarding is: a disorder characterized by the difficulty in discarding items that seem to have little to no value to the individuals general well-being. Compulsive hoarding can be a debilitating disorder because the accumulation of unnecessary items can affect social interactions, put ones health at risk due to infestations, or cause anxiety and depression. At the moment, compulsive hoarding is listed in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) IV as a symptom of OCD. Recently researchers argue that this classification is incorrect due to lack of correlation of the symptoms of patients diagnosed with compulsive hoarding versus those who are diagnosed with OCD. Those with compulsive hoarding disorder do not necessarily have OCD, and vice versa. Compulsive hoarding patients have been found to have no more obsessive compulsive personality disorder traits than non-hoarding patients. Also, OCD treatments like serotonergic medications are largely ineffective for treating hoarding. This presentation will not only attempt to properly classify what compulsive hoarding is, but it will also seeks to show the neurological basis of compulsive hoarding.
Faculty Sponsor
Melissa Glenn
Sponsoring Department
Colby College. Psychology Dept.
CLAS Field of Study
Social Sciences
Event Website
http://www.colby.edu/clas
ID
546
What has the Power? Understanding the Neurobiological Basis of Hoarding
Diamond 145
How do we classify compulsive hoarding? Is it its own neurological/psychological disorder or a subset of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCD)? Before classifying it one must know that compulsive hoarding is: a disorder characterized by the difficulty in discarding items that seem to have little to no value to the individuals general well-being. Compulsive hoarding can be a debilitating disorder because the accumulation of unnecessary items can affect social interactions, put ones health at risk due to infestations, or cause anxiety and depression. At the moment, compulsive hoarding is listed in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) IV as a symptom of OCD. Recently researchers argue that this classification is incorrect due to lack of correlation of the symptoms of patients diagnosed with compulsive hoarding versus those who are diagnosed with OCD. Those with compulsive hoarding disorder do not necessarily have OCD, and vice versa. Compulsive hoarding patients have been found to have no more obsessive compulsive personality disorder traits than non-hoarding patients. Also, OCD treatments like serotonergic medications are largely ineffective for treating hoarding. This presentation will not only attempt to properly classify what compulsive hoarding is, but it will also seeks to show the neurological basis of compulsive hoarding.
https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/clas/2014/program/45