| Hoarding of inanimate objects has been linked to a variety of psychological
disorders, and a significant percentage of animal hoarders are eventually institutionalized
or placed under some type of protective care. The hoarding of inanimate
objects is a relatively new area of study in the psyhological
and psychiatric literature, and even less has been
reported about the sub-category of animal hoarding. Experts are still unsure of
the exact causes for hoarding, and since the behavior is seen in a range of disorders, it is likely that a variety of conditions
can ultimately result in pathological hoarding. Hoarding is characterized in DSM-IV (the bible of psyciatric disorders) as a symptom
of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). There is
very little literature about treatment, and what exists suggests that hoarders may be particularly
resistant to both psychotherapy and commonly used medications.
The following literature from Medline (National Library of Medicine) summarizes what has been
published in peer-reviewed medical journals about hoarding as of February, 2004:
Medline Literature Review
HARC has identified several possible underlying mechanisms which might explain at least some cases of animal
hoarding, described in the following paper published in Psychiatric Times, 2000:
Psychological Models for Animal Hoarding
Recommendations for Therapists
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