[Diogenes syndrome and Hoarding disorder: Same or different?]

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Gerontology

Background:

• The DSM-5 introduced Hoarding disorder in 2013.
• Diogenes syndrome, described in French semeiology, shares symptoms with Hoarding disorder, notably syllogomania (pathological accumulation of objects).

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the similarities and differences between Hoarding disorder and Diogenes syndrome.
• To investigate potential diagnostic overlaps and etiological connections.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of diagnostic criteria for Hoarding disorder (DSM-5) and Diogenes syndrome.
• Review of existing literature on the prevalence, aetiologies, and clinical presentations of both syndromes.

Main Results:

• Both syndromes involve persistent difficulty discarding possessions and cluttering of living spaces.
• Diogenes syndrome requires inability to seek help plus a pathological relationship with objects (syllogomania), body, or society.
• Hoarding disorder prevalence ranges from 2.3% to 14%, with a significant genetic component.

Conclusions:

• Hoarding disorder with poor insight may be misdiagnosed as Diogenes syndrome.
• Diogenes syndrome can manifest with hoarding and squalor, suggesting a spectrum.
• A dimensional model with hoarding and squalor as key dimensions, potentially sharing a central aetiology, is proposed.