In a new study from Anglia Ruskin University, researchers found that people with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are much more likely to also exhibit hoarding behaviors, which can have a serious impact on their quality of life.
They found that almost one in five people with ADHD exhibited high levels of hoarding, indicating there could be a hidden population of adults struggling with hoarding and its consequences.
Hoarding disorder is a recognized condition that involves excessive accumulation, difficulties discarding and excessive clutter.
The disorder can lead to distress or difficulties in everyday life and can contribute to depression and anxiety.
Previous research into hoarding disorder has mainly focused on older females who self-identify as hoarders and have sought help later in life.
In the study, the team recruited 88 participants from an adult ADHD clinic run by the Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.
They found that 19% of this ADHD group displayed strong hoarding symptoms, were on average in their 30s, and there was an equal gender split.
Amongst the remaining 81%, the researchers found greater hoarding severity, but not to a degree that significantly impaired their lives, compared to the study’s control group.
The researchers asked the same questions, about ADHD symptoms and impulsivity, levels of hoarding and clutter, obsessive-compulsive severity, perfectionism, depression and anxiety, and everyday function, on a closely-matched group of 90 adults from the general population, without an ADHD diagnosis.
They and only 2% of this control group exhibited strong hoarding symptoms.
They then replicated this with a larger online sample of 220 UK adults to see if similar patterns were found, and similarly, only 3% of this group exhibited symptoms.
The team says hoarding disorder is much more than simply collecting too many possessions.
People with diagnosed hoarding disorder have filled their living areas with so many items and clutter that it impacts their day-to-day functioning leading to a poorer quality of life, anxiety, and depression.
Overall, the study found that people who had been diagnosed with ADHD had a higher likelihood of also having hoarding symptoms.
The findings also indicate that hoarding disorder should be routinely assessed in individuals with ADHD, as they do not typically disclose associated difficulties despite these potentially impairing their everyday lives.
Likewise, it is possible that many people who are currently being treated for hoarding disorder might also have undiagnosed ADHD.
If you care about mental health, please read studies about commonly used mental drugs may harm cognitive functions and findings of this eye disease can harm your mental and physical health.
For more information about ADHD, please see recent studies about what causes ADHD and can it be cured, and results showing scientists find new drug to reduce daydreaming, fatigue, and brain sluggishness in ADHD.
The study is published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research and was conducted by Dr. Sharon Morein et al.
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