thumb|compulsive hoarding in an apartment.  compulsive hoarding (more accurately described as "hoarding disorder") is a pattern of behavior that is characterized by the excessive acquisition of and inability or unwillingness to discard large quantities of objects that cover the living areas of the home and cause significant distress or impairment. compulsive hoarding behavior has been associated with health risks, impaired functioning, economic burden, and adverse effects on friends and family members. when clinically significant enough to impair functioning, hoarding can prevent typical uses of space, enough so that it can limit activities such as cooking, cleaning, moving through the house, and sleeping. it could also potentially put the individual and others at risk of causing fires, falling, poor sanitation, and other health concerns. compulsive hoarders may be conscious of their irrational behavior but the emotional attachment to the hoarded objects far exceeds the motive to discard the items. researchers have only recently begun to study hoarding, and it was first defined as a mental disorder in the 5th edition of the dsm in 2013. it was not clear whether "compulsive" hoarding is a separate, isolated disorder, or rather a symptom of another condition, such as ocd, but the current dsm lists hoarding disorder as both a mental disability and a possible symptom for ocd.{{cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.cpr.2003.08.002|author=steketee g, frost r|title=compulsive hoard
Compulsive_hoarding