Hoarding: A meta‐analysis of age of onset

Abstract

Hoarding disorder is present in 2-6% of the population and can have an immense impact on the lives of patients and their families. Before its inclusion the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, pathological hoarding was often characterized as a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder, and several different diagnostic assessment methods were used to identify and characterize it. Although the age of onset of pathological hoarding is an important epidemiological measure, as clarifying the age of onset of hoarding symptoms may allow for early identification and implementation of evidence-based treatments before symptoms become clinically significant, the typical age of onset of hoarding is still uncertain. To that end, this study is a systematic review and meta-analysis of research published in English between the years 1900 and 2016 containing information on age of onset of hoarding symptoms. Twenty-five studies met inclusion criteria. The mean age of onset of hoarding symptoms across studies was 16.7 years old, with evidence of a bimodal distribution of onset. The authors conclude by discussing practice implications for early identification and treatment.

Age at onset of mental disorders worldwide: large-scale meta-analysis of 192 epidemiological studies

“…To our best knowledge, this study is the first fully epidemiological and largest [ 35 – 38 ] meta-analysis on age at onset of mental disorders globally. It also represents the most comprehensive approach, encompassing all ICD-11 diagnostic spectra for which we found eligible studies, allowing comparative transdiagnostic analyses across different categories of mental disorders [ 39 , 40 ].…”

Determinants of object choice and object attachment: Compensatory consumption in compulsive buying–shopping disorder and hoarding disorder

“…Although being young and female has been associated with an increased tendency for compulsive buying behavior ( Maraz, Griffiths, & Demetrovics, 2016 ), HD is just as prevalent for males and females ( Postlethwaite, Kellett, & Mataix-Cols, 2019 ) and is often considered a problem of old age because individuals tend to not seek treatment for it until their mid-to-late 50s ( Frost, Ruby, & Shuer, 2012 ; Gilliam et al., 2011 ; Muroff, Steketee, Bratiotis, & Ross, 2012 ). However, hoarding has an average age of onset of 16.7 years ( Zaboski II et al., 2019 ). Thus, examining young people is both a strength and weakness.…”

Three early papers on self-neglect

“…Shaw conceded that "social breakdown" was found in younger age groupsbut she was not looking there (Shaw and Macmillan, 1957). More recently, hoarding symptoms, the DSM-5 suggests, may first emerge around ages 11-15 years, with "clinically significant impairment" by the person's mid-30s (APA, 2013; see also, Zaboski et al, 2019).…”