Vermüllung

Abstract

Severe neglect of the living space due to excessive collection of unusable objects and refuse has been named "Vermuellung" (complete congestion with garbage) since 1985 in the German literature. The internationally used terms 'hoarding' or 'Diogenes syndrome' are in fact neither synonyms nor direct translations of the term. The condition is a problem mainly in social and geriatric psychiatry, yet it is seen also in young subjects without psychopathologic features. A frequent cause for the condition is obsessive-compulsive disorder, but several other disorders are associated with it. A 58-year-old female patient with severe Vermuellung due to obsessive-compulsive disorder is presented.