Research
Current Projects
Psychopathology Of Compulsive Hoarding
SSW Investigator(s):
Gail Steketee, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator:
Randy Frost, PhD, at Smith College
Funding Source:
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) /The National Institute
of Mental Health
Project Description:
Compulsive hoarding includes excessive clutter, difficulty
discarding, and compulsive acquiring which are associated with considerable
impairment and distress. The aims of this first major study of hoarding
are to study background features, relationship to other disorders, possible
etiological factors, and to test self-report measures of hoarding. The
project also tests predictions from an existing model of hoarding using
laboratory studies of discarding and acquiring tasks conducted at home
and in typical acquisition settings. Participants include people with
hoarding problems (n=120), with OCD (n=120), and without significant
hoarding or other psychiatric symptoms (n=120). Structured interviews
about hoarding, and pictorial, observer-rated and self-reported measures
of clutter are completed in the office and in participants' homes. Findings
are expected to provide a sound basis for refining treatment strategies
to address hoarding problems.
