Citation

Kelson M, Batra K, Sharma M. J. Health Soc. Sci. 2022; 7(2): 249-255.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, SIPISS-FerrariSinibaldi Publishers)

DOI

10.19204/2022/HRDN10

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Hoarding Disorder is a syndrome marked by persistent difficulty in discarding items due to a perceived need to save the objects, regardless of value or worth. Consequently, a large number of items accumulate in residential spaces, which leads to significant distress with impaired social/occupational functioning. This diagnosis is commonly seen in association with depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder and has recently achieved recognition as a standalone diagnosis. Response to treatment among patients with hoarding disorder is variable, with some individuals experiencing associated suicidality. This case report details a 77-year-old female with a history of major depressive disorder, who was found to have hoarding symptoms at the time of hospital admission. The patient was provided with cognitive behavioral therapy and numerous psychotropic agents were added to the treatment plan. Over the course of 8-weeks of psychopharmacological management, the patient showed minimal improvement of symptomatology, with a PHQ-9 score change from 27 to 24. The purpose of this case report is to recognize the lack of sufficient evidence for appropriate pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic management for patients with hoarding disorder. Most of the scientific literature on the efficacy of pharmacotherapy in hoarding disorder was conducted in obsessive-compulsive disorder patients with a prominent hoarding component. Also, most of the studies analyzing the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy in hoarding disorder demonstrated varying benefit. Moreover, our goal in this report is to increase the awareness of hoarding disorder as a potential cause of suicidality. Take-home message: Currently, we do not have sufficient evidence for the effective management of hoarding disorder. Moreover, future studies are necessary to investigate a more direct relationship between this syndrome and suicidality. © 2022 by the authors.

Language: en

Keywords

Suicide; Pharmacotherapy; Cognitive behavioral therapy; Hoarding disorder; Compulsive hoarding