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Compulsive hoarding is currently viewed as a variant of obsessive-compulsive disorder and as a feature of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Clinically, it differs from other OCD subtypes — e.g., subtypes with aggressive, sexual, or religious features; with preoccupations concerning symmetry and order; or with contamination fears. To seek chromosomal regions linked to compulsive hoarding behavior in families, researchers analyzed results from the large, ongoing OCD Collaborative Genetics Study involving 624 subjects diagnosed with definite OCD in 219 families.
Of these subjects, 235 had hoarding obsessions, compulsions, or both. Of these, 47% spent an hour or more per day in hoarding activities, and 64% reported at least moderate lev…