Abstract:

Hoarding disorder is a condition in which a person has persistent difficulty in discarding or parting with possessions, which is caused by strong urges to save items and characterized by information processing deficits, irrational beliefs, emotional dysregulation and hoarding behaviors. Hoarding disorder is highly prevalent and is likely associated with childhood experiences, neural dysfunctions and genetics. The diagnosis of hoarding disorder is generally based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), Saving Inventory-Revised, and medical history and concomitant symptoms. The treatment of hoarding disorder mainly includes cognitive behavior therapy, pharmacotherapies and multi-modal treatments. Future studies should pay attention to improve diagnostic standard and assessment tools, efficacy of various therapies, explore hoarding disorder characteristics and underline neurobiological mechanisms from a cognitive neuroscience perspective, especially combining eye-tracking with ERP and fMRI.

Key words: hoarding, hoarding behavior, hoarding disorder