Psychiatry. Encouraging a healthier community.

Hoarding disorder is a highly disabling and complex disorder, with prevalence estimated at 2.5%. Although hoarding symptoms typically begin in late adolescence, the majority of individuals with clinically significant hoarding symptoms do not present for treatment until later in life. Costs associated with hoarding disorder are significant and include: psychological and public health costs, safety concerns, impairment in psychosocial and occupational functioning, high levels of social service involvement, poor physical health, and many preventable residential fire fatalities.

Effective psychological treatments are available for hoarding disorder. However, recent research indicates that hoarding disorder remains under-recognised in primary care and the majority of sufferers do not receive adequate treatment.