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The following is a summary of “Rates of diagnosis and service utilization in veterans with hoarding disorder,” published in the June 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Zakrzewski et al.

Hoarding Disorder (HD) is a significant neuropsychiatric condition where people struggle to throw away items, leading to excessive clutter that impairs daily life. Its prevalence ranges from 2% to 6% and tends to increase with age; older veterans are particularly at risk for experiencing severe consequences due to HD.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study investigating the rates of HD and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) diagnoses among veterans at the VA San Diego Healthcare System. 

They studied over 8 years of data from medical records of veterans diagnosed with HD or OCD. The study included information on medical and psychiatric treatments, interactions with homelessness services, and Care Assessment Needs (CAN) scores to assess functional impairment.

The results showed that both HD and OCD diagnoses were lower than expected based on general population estimates. Veterans with HD tended to be older and experienced higher rates of hospital admissions with longer stays. Veterans with HD also had more cardiac, neurological, and other medical conditions, along with more significant psychiatric comorbidities. Additionally, veterans with HD interacted more with suicide prevention teams and homelessness services and showed higher CAN scores compared to veterans with OCD.

Investigators concluded that veterans with HD were using many services yet needed to be diagnosed more. Addressing the gap could improve the individuals’ outcomes and QoL, emphasizing the importance of better recognition and management of HD within veterans.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165178124001732