Recent Advances in Research on Hoarding

Davidson, Eliza; Dozier, Mary E.; Pittman, James O. E.; Mayes, Tina L.; Blanco, Brian H; Gault, John; Schwarz, Lauren J.; Ayers, Catherine R.

doi:10.1007/s11920-019-1078-0

Cited by 17 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…This observation is similar to that of another study wherein it was reported that in 88% of the complaints, unhealthy living conditions were found [6]. For this reason, hoarding cases are considered a public health hazard that compromises the entire surrounding community [5,7,9]. This condition may increase the risk of health problems and zoonotic diseases, such as leptospirosis, gastrointestinal infections, and venomous animal accidents, among others.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…The extreme clutter arising due to hoarding behavior impacts public health as it can lead to unsanitary community conditions and spread of diseases, particularly zoonoses [2,3]. These unsanitary conditions have an impact on the health of the individual with hoarding disorder and may lead to risks such as falling objects, fire hazards, and fire exit obstructions, which compromise their safety and welfare and lead to social vulnerability [4][5][6][7][8][9]. Other negative effects are primarily associated with poor physical health, increased risk of injury, exacerbation of chronic diseases, occupational impairment, and social concerns, such as homelessness, social isolation, and economic burden [4,7,10,11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sociodemographic, income, and environmental characteristics of individuals displaying animal and object hoarding behavior in a major city in South Brazil: A cross-sectional study

et al. 2021

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Background and Aim: Hoarding cases have not been researched in depth in developing countries, such as Brazil. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of people with hoarding behavior in Curitiba, Brazil. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted based on complaints about hoarding situations received by the City Hall. The data on sociodemographic, income, and environmental characteristics of individuals displaying animal and object hoarding behavior were obtained and analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple correspondence analyses. Results: Out of the 113 hoarding cases reported, 69 (61.06%) were fully assessed. Most of the participants (43; 62.32%) were women, and it was observed that most of the animal hoarding cases were women (p=0.02). The average age was 62.47 years old, and most of them (44; 63.76%) had studied up to the middle school level. People associated with object hoarding belonged to the lower income category (p=0.031). In most cases, the homes had an unpleasant odor (45; 65.21%), and this was prevalent in cases involving women (p=0.004) and animals (p=0.001). The risk of fire (24 [34.78%]) and landslip (9 [13.04%]) was more frequent in the case of object hoarding (p=0.018 and 0.021, respectively). Conclusion: The description of characteristics of individuals with hoarding behavior may assist in understanding the magnitude of this public health problem in Brazil and shed light on the need to develop studies on the health conditions of people and animals that live in these situations.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sociodemographic, income, and environmental characteristics of individuals displaying animal and object hoarding behavior in a major city in South Brazil: A cross-sectional study

et al. 2021

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“…These changes may be reflected in higher-order constructs such as difficulties in emotion regulation, and intolerance of uncertainty or distress. From this viewpoint, the numerous uncertainties and negative emotions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant socioeconomic changes may trigger aberrant neural activity in susceptible individuals, leading to an aberrant form (panic buying) of an otherwise useful behavior (purchasing essential materials) ( 39 ).…”

Section: Divergent Theoretical Perspectives On Panic Buyingmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Biopsychosocial Approach to Understanding Panic Buying: Integrating Neurobiological, Attachment-Based, and Social-Anthropological Perspectives

Rajkumar

2021

Front. Psychiatry

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The global COVID-19 pandemic has focused the attention of researchers, civil authority and the general public on the phenomenon of “panic buying,” characterized by the excessive purchase of specific materials—particularly food and hygiene-related products—in anticipation of an expected shortage. This phenomenon has been well-documented in response to several natural and man-made disasters, but its global scope and severity in the context of COVID-19 are unprecedented. This response can negatively impact health, food security, and disease prevention efforts. Attempts to modify such behaviors are more likely to succeed if they are based on insights from both the biomedical and the social sciences. From a biological perspective, the phenomenological overlap between panic buying and psychological disorders such as hoarding disorder and compulsive buying raises the possibility of a shared neurobiological underpinning. Evolutionary models suggest that these behaviors represent an attempt to enhance individual and group survival in the face of a threatened scarcity of resources. These phenomena may be influenced by specific genetic variants which are also implicated in hoarding-related psychological disorders. From a psychological perspective, attachment theory provides a conceptual framework that serves as a bridge between prior life adversity, current deprivation, and an increased attachment to material objects. Such a framework is of relevance when considering panic buying during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been associated with significant disruptions in attachment bonds. From a social-anthropological perspective, hoarding and related behaviors have been associated with social exclusion and rejection, as well a lack of social support. These risk factors have affected large sections of the general population in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the governmental responses to it. This perspective also emphasizes the symbolic significance of the hoarded objects themselves. In this paper, an attempt is made to integrate these three perspectives and thereby formulate a biopsychosocial model of panic buying in response to this global health crisis. The existing scientific literature on panic buying is examined in the light of this model. Finally, suggestions are proposed as to how this model might inform social strategies aimed at preventing or reducing panic buying.

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“…In addition to the core feature of difficulty discarding, individuals with hoarding disorder also frequently report other psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety and depression. Neurocognitive complaints are also common, including reported problems with organization, attention, and categorization (Davidson et al., 2019; Tolin et al., 2019). However, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying hoarding disorder are not yet well understood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrophysiological dynamics of visuocortical processing in hoarding disorder

2020

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Individuals with hoarding disorder (HD) typically perform worse than peers on neuropsychological tasks involving visual perception. Functional neuroimaging shows diffusely increased activity in the visual cortex, consistent with inefficient visual processing in HD. The temporal locus of these inefficiencies in HD is unknown. This study examined the temporal unfolding of visual event‐related brain potentials (ERPs) to help better define the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying visual dysfunction in HD. Thirty‐three individuals with HD and 35 healthy controls (HC) were assessed using a 64‐channel EEG during a modified flanker task. Permutation‐controlled analyses were conducted to detect group differences in visual evoked ERPs on a millisecond‐to‐millisecond basis. Bayesian ANCOVAs and linear regressions that included hoarding and age were conducted to identify the best‐fit model for the identified VEPs, compared to a null model that included depression and anxiety severity. Three temporal regions (175 ms, 270 ms, and 440 ms), showed differences in amplitude between HD and HC and were consistent with ERP components N1, P1/N2, and a late negative slow wave (LNSW), respectively. After controlling for depression and anxiety, HD demonstrated an enhanced ERP amplitude at N1 and an attenuated amplitude in LNSW compared to HC but did not show differences at P1/N2. For the N1 and LNSW, there was also a primary effect of the interaction between hoarding and age. This study indicates that altered visuocortical reactivity in HD first occurs at the level of visuocortical processing after 170 ms, indicating alterations of middle and later, but not early, processing in occipitotemporal visual cortex.

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Recent Advances in Research on Hoarding

Cited by 17 publications

References 78 publications

Sociodemographic, income, and environmental characteristics of individuals displaying animal and object hoarding behavior in a major city in South Brazil: A cross-sectional study

Sociodemographic, income, and environmental characteristics of individuals displaying animal and object hoarding behavior in a major city in South Brazil: A cross-sectional study

A Biopsychosocial Approach to Understanding Panic Buying: Integrating Neurobiological, Attachment-Based, and Social-Anthropological Perspectives

Electrophysiological dynamics of visuocortical processing in hoarding disorder

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