The condition is classed as a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), present in 30 to 40 percent of individuals affected with OCD. Compulsive hoarding is distinct from bad planning and disorganization because it is believed to be a pathological brain disorder. It is often a symptom of other disorders, such as impulse control disorder or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Bereavement or another significant life event can trigger excessive hoarding behavior.

Hoarding often runs in families, but it is uncertain whether DNA is involved. “People with this problem tend to have a first-degree relative who also does,” says Randy O. Frost, Ph.D., a psychologist at Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts. “So it might be genetic, or it might be a modeling effect.”

Gene research suggests that a region on chromosome 14 may be linked with compulsive hoarding in families with OCD. The study, carried out by a team from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in March 2007, analyzed samples from 999 OCD patients in 219 families. Families with two or more hoarding relatives showed a unique pattern on chromosome 14, whereas the other families’ OCD was linked to chromosome 3.

To learn more about Hoarding and other obsessive-compulsive disorders, please visit the neuroscience department at NorthShore University HealthSystem.

The question then becomes why. Unfortunately, the doctors at Severance Mental Health Hospital in Seoul discovered that the reason for the steep spike is much closer to home than people realize. The main cause is not genetic, but instead routine daily activities whose stress levels have been heighted due to added pressures to succeed from society, friends and family.

“It is largely due to the competitive atmosphere at schools and pressure from their parents that increasing number of young students are displaying symptoms of OCD,” said Kim Chan-Hyung, director of Severance Mental Health Hospital in Seoul.
Researchers will continue to conduct more tests to ensure that these are cases of OCD and not just symptoms that everyone exhibits when anxious.

To learn more about OCD and other anxiety related disorders visit the neurosciences department at NorthShore University HealthSystem.