[Messy house syndrome]

The messy house syndrome (Diogenes syndrome) is present when, owing to a disordering of the personality structure, a person is unable to keep order, for example, in the household or his finances. Such persons are also referred to as "messies". Useless objects are hoarded in such quantities that the apartment can no longer be lived in. In many cases, the disorder is due to an underlying mental problem such as dementia, schizophrenia, ADHS or obsessive-compulsive disorders. The Prader-Willi syndrome is also associated with an unusual compulsion to hoard things or food. In the first instance, treatment is aimed at the underlying condition (neuroleptic agents, SSRI). New studies appear to suggest that the particular concomitant cognitive and emotional disturbances associated with hoarding respond to cognitive behavioral therapy.