Mental Health News
A group of researchers at the Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) studied the link between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD and hoarding behavior. The study is published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.
Understanding Hoarding Disorder
Hoarding disorder is a mental health disorder in which people experience compulsive tendencies to excessively accumulate items. These items clutter their everyday lives and negatively impact their day-to-day functioning and quality of life. Typical hoarded items include newspapers, magazines, clothing, household goods, etc.
The Study
The researchers recruited 88 participants from an adult ADHD clinic run by the Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust. They were asked to solve questionnaires related to ADHD symptoms, impulsivity, levels of clutter and hoarding, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, perfectionism, mental disorders (like depression and anxiety), and everyday functioning. The researchers then compared the results with a closely matched control group of 90 adults without ADHD and a larger online sample of 220 adults in the UK to see if similar patterns were found.
The Findings
According to the results, 19% of the first study group of people with ADHD displayed clinical hoarding symptoms. The remaining 81% showed signs of greater hoarding severity, but it did not affect their lives. In comparison, 2–3% of both the control groups exhibited clinically significant hoarding symptoms.
Towards Interventions
The study reconfirmed the links between mental disorders like ADHD, hoarding disorder, depression, etc. The researchers are enthusiastic that their findings can be used to develop effective interventions that treat behavioral disorders at early stages. This can help prevent them from turning into more severe mental health conditions later in life.
One of the lead researchers, Dr Sharon Morein, elaborated, “Greater awareness amongst clinicians and people could lead to more effective long-term management [of tendencies such as] hoarding [that] often gradually [worsen] with time.”
To Know More You May Relate To
Morein-Zamir, S., Kasese, M., Chamberlain, S. R., & Trachtenberg, E. (2021). Elevated levels of hoarding in ADHD: A special link with inattention. Journal of psychiatric research, 145, 167–174. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.12.024