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Higher Likelihood of Hoarding Behavior in Adults With ADHD
As many as 1 in 5 adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may also have clinically significant symptoms of hoarding, according to study findings published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.
“Whilst formerly associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder, it is now recognized that individuals with hoarding disorder often have inattention symptoms reminiscent of ADHD,” researchers wrote.
To formally investigate hoarding behaviors in adults with ADHD, researchers questioned 88 patients from an adult ADHD clinic in the United Kingdom about impulsivity, levels of hoarding and clutter, obsessive compulsive severity, perfectionism, depression, anxiety, and daily functioning. The ran the same questions by 90 controls from the community, matched for age, gender, and education level.
Some 19% of adults with ADHD reported clinically significant hoarding symptoms, the study found, compared with just 2% of control subjects. On average, adults with ADHD and significant hoarding symptoms were in their 30s, with an equal gender split. Clinically significant hoarding was linked with worse quality of life and increased depression and anxiety.
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Compared with controls, the study also found greater hoarding severity in the remaining 81% of patients with ADHD, although not to a degree that significantly impaired their lives. Inattention was the sole significant predictor of hoarding severity in patients.
Researchers replicated the findings in an independent online sample of 220 UK adults. Specifically, 3.2% of the online group exhibited significant hoarding disorder symptoms, and symptoms of inattention were again linked with hoarding severity, the study found.
“Our 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,” said Sharon Morein-Zamir, PhD, of Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge.
“Greater awareness amongst clinicians and people with ADHD about the link between ADHD and hoarding could also lead to more effective long-term management, as hoarding often gradually worsens with time.”
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