Mayo Clinic Health Manager

Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.

Get Started

Free

E-Newsletter

Subscribe to receive the latest updates on health topics. About our newsletters

  • Housecall
  • Alzheimer's caregiving
  • Living with cancer

Complications

By Mayo Clinic staff

Hoarding can cause a variety of complications, including:

  • Unsanitary conditions that pose a risk to health
  • An inability to perform daily tasks, such as bathing or cooking
  • Poor work performance
  • Loneliness and social isolation
  • A fire hazard
References
  1. Maidment K. Compulsive hoarding syndrome - An introduction. Obsessive Compulsive Foundation.http://www.ocfoundation.org/hoarding/about-hoarding/compulsive-hoarding-syndrome-introduction.php. Accessed April 14, 2009.
  2. Neziroglu F, et al. How compulsive hoarding affects families. Obsessive Compulsive Foundation.http://www.ocfoundation.org/hoarding/effects-family-society/how-compulsive-hoarding-affects-families.php. Accessed April 14, 2009.
  3. Abramowitz J, et al. The status of hoarding as a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2008;46:1026.
  4. Pertusa A, et al. Compulsive hoarding: OCD symptom, distinct clinical syndrome, or both? The American Journal of Psychiatry. 2008;165:1289.
  5. Saxena S. Recent advances in compulsive hoarding. Current Psychiatry Reports. 2008;10:297.
  6. Frost RO, et al. Measurement of compulsive hoarding: Saving inventory - revised. Behavior Research and Therapy. 2004;42:1163.
  7. Obsessive-compulsive disorder. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2000. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Jan. 20, 2009.
  8. Maidment K. Problems in treating compulsive hoarding. Obsessive Compulsive Foundation. http://www.ocfoundation.org/hoarding/treatment/problems-in-treating-compulsive-hoarding.php. Accessed April 14, 2009.
  9. Hall-Flavin DK (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 17, 2009.

DS00966

May 30, 2009

© 1998-2009 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Reliable tools for healthier lives," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Print Share Reprints

Text Size: smaller largerlarger