Compulsive hoarding is a common and often disabling neuropsychiatric disorder. This article reviews the conceptualization,
phenomenology, diagnosis, etiology, neurobiology, and treatment of compulsive hoarding. Compulsive hoarding is part of a discrete
clinical syndrome that includes difficulty discarding, urges to save, excessive acquisition, indecisiveness, perfectionism,
procrastination, disorganization, and avoidance. It was thought to be part of obsessive-compulsive disorder or obsessive-compulsive
personality disorder, but recent evidence indicates that it should be classified as a separate disorder with its own diagnostic
criteria. Compulsive hoarding is a genetically discrete, strongly heritable phenotype. Neuroimaging and neuropsychological
studies are elucidating its neurobiology, implicating dysfunction of ventral and medial prefrontal cortical areas that mediate
decision-making, attention, and emotional regulation. Effective treatments include pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behavioral
therapy. More research will be required to determine the prevalence, etiology, and pathophysiology of compulsive hoarding
and to develop better treatments