Publication (142 pages).

the Frost and Gross definition in 1996 and the
inclusion of hoarding in the latest edition of
the DSM reflects the process of medicalization
that has taken place and the time required for
claims-makers to legitimize their claims. This
construction of hoarding seems very convincing;
research has produced data that suggests
hoarding is a mental illness similar to other
anxiety disorders. Hoardersshow more distress
than non-hoarders due to problems with accumulation
and difficulty discarding. Their habits
require medical assistance to return them
to a ‘normal’ state of being. This approach
however reflects the increasing practice of
medicalization and the narrowing scope of the
behaviour. One of the most obvious aspects of
the legitimation of hoarding as a medicalized
behaviour is the plethora of medical studies
being published, specifically within the area of
psychology. An Internet search will bring up
thousands of articles, and more are beingadded
each week. Many of these studies look at
the characteristics of hoarding behaviour and
its impact on the individuals, however all of
the literature exists in a medical sphere and
supports the idea that hoarding is a medical
behaviour. I provide an overview here of the
important studies and controversies of which
to take note.
Medical Literature on Hoarding
The first data collected on hoarding appear in
a study by Randy Frost and Rachel Gross titled
“The Hoarding of Possessions” (1993). It
collected data from a control group as well as a
group of self-proclaimed hoarders, and sought
to explore the nature of hoarding behaviour.
Likert scale questionnaires in interviews combined
questions about hoarding tendencies
such as perfectionism, indecisiveness, trouble
discarding, and reactions to parting with items,
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