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Hoarding pet animals in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 October 2014

André L. Campos-Lima ,
Albina R. Torres ,
Murat Yücel ,
Ben J. Harrison ,
Jorge Moll ,
Gabriela M. Ferreira  and
Leonardo F. Fontenelle
André L. Campos-Lima
Affiliation:
Programa de Transtornos Obsessivo-Compulsivos e de Ansiedade, Instituto de Psiquiatria, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
Albina R. Torres
Affiliation:
Departmento de Neurologia, Psicologia e Psiquiatria, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho, São Paulo, Brasil
Murat Yücel
Affiliation:
Monash Clinical and Imaging Neuroscience (MCIN) Laboratory, School of Psychological Sciences & Monash Biomedical Imaging (MBI) Facility, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
Ben J. Harrison
Affiliation:
Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre (MNC), University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Jorge Moll
Affiliation:
Instituto D’Or de Pesquisa e Ensino (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
Gabriela M. Ferreira
Affiliation:
Programa de Transtornos Obsessivo-Compulsivos e de Ansiedade, Instituto de Psiquiatria, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
Leonardo F. Fontenelle*
Affiliation:
Programa de Transtornos Obsessivo-Compulsivos e de Ansiedade, Instituto de Psiquiatria, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brasil Monash Clinical and Imaging Neuroscience (MCIN) Laboratory, School of Psychological Sciences & Monash Biomedical Imaging (MBI) Facility, Monash University, Victoria, Australia Instituto D’Or de Pesquisa e Ensino (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
*
Dr. Leonardo F. Fontenelle, Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders Research Program, Institute of Psychiatry of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Visconde de Pirajá, 547, Sala 617, Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22410-003, Brazil. Tel and Fax: +55 21 2239 4919; E-mail: lfontenelle@gmail.com
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Abstract

Background

Although severe hoarding symptoms have been considered rare among obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) samples, the prevalence of animal hoarding in OCD is unknown. To help clarifying this issue, we searched for cases of animal hoarding among patients attending a university OCD clinic (n=420).

Methods

Chart review.

Results

Only two patients from our sample exhibited animal hoarding (<0.5%) and only one of them presented additional obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Both cases also collected inanimate objects, presented low insight, exhibited poor response to serotonin reuptake inhibitors and did not adhere to therapy.

Conclusions

There seems to be a lack of relationship between animal hoarding and OCD. However, further studies with larger numbers of patients are needed to better define their psychopathological profile and more appropriate nosological insertion.

Keywords

animal hoardinghoarding disorderobsessive-compulsive disorderpsychopathology
Type
Original Articles
Information
Acta Neuropsychiatrica , Volume 27 , Issue 1 , February 2015 , pp. 8 - 13
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Copyright
© Scandinavian College of Neuropsychopharmacology 2014 

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