Psych Vivas · General adult psychiatry — OCRD
Hoarding disorder — structured clinical viva
Fellowship viva on hoarding disorder with animal and fire risk, capacity, specialised CBT, and multiagency care.
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Target exams
FRANZCPMRCPsychABPNMD-DNB
Prompt
You are the psychiatry registrar. Community fire officers and housing refer a 61-year-old man whose unit has floor-to-ceiling clutter, one blocked exit, and 12 poorly cared-for cats. He has fair-to-poor insight, scores high on SI-R, and refuses any discarding but will discuss 'helping the cats.' Family demand a forced cleanout this week. Discuss diagnosis (HD vs OCD vs squalor/animal hoarding), risk hierarchy, capacity principles, specialised CBT components, limits of medication, and how you respond to the forced-cleanout demand.
Interpretation
Reveal interpretation
This is severe hoarding disorder with excessive acquisition phenotype likely, animal-hoarding features, and environmental emergency risk (blocked exit). Fair-to-poor insight is common and does not convert the case into schizophrenia by default. Animal welfare and fire safety sit alongside psychiatric care — not after it.[1][2][6]
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References7Show ledgerHide ledger
- [1]Mataix-Cols D, Frost RO, Pertusa A, et al. Hoarding disorder: a new diagnosis for DSM-V? Depress Anxiety, 2010.PMID 20336805
- [2]Frost RO, Steketee G, Tolin DF Diagnosis and assessment of hoarding disorder Annu Rev Clin Psychol, 2012.PMID 22035242
- [3]Steketee G, Frost RO, Tolin DF, et al. Waitlist-controlled trial of cognitive behavior therapy for hoarding disorder Depress Anxiety, 2010.PMID 20336804
- [4]Tolin DF, Frost RO, Steketee G, et al. Cognitive behavioral therapy for hoarding disorder: a meta-analysis Depress Anxiety, 2015.PMID 25639467
- [5]Saxena S, Brody AL, Maidment KM, et al. Paroxetine treatment of compulsive hoarding J Psychiatr Res, 2007.PMID 16790250
- [6]Snowdon J, Shah A, Halliday G Severe domestic squalor: a review Int Psychogeriatr, 2007.PMID 16973099
- [7]Tolin DF, Frost RO, Steketee G, et al. The economic and social burden of compulsive hoarding Psychiatry Res, 2008.PMID 18597855