The Anxiety Disorders Center conducts studies comparing compulsive hoarding to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Compulsive hoarding is a problem of excessive clutter in one's home, usually associated with difficulty discarding items and/or acquiring (either purchased or free) a number of items that one does not need or use, or cannot afford.
In order to participate in these studies, you must be able to travel to The Institute of Living in Hartford, CT.
All of the research studies compensate you for your time and effort.
Our current study is designed to help us understand several aspects of Hoarding Disorder, particularly the underlying issue of attentional impairment. The total time commitment for this study would be three 40-minute sessions per week, for 8 weeks. We also ask potential participants to come in for an initial evaluation, to complete some tests, questionnaires, and interviews about other mental health concerns. This research study will look at whether certain exercises of cognitive remediation (a therapeutic treatment) are more effective than stress-reduction techniques for enhancing attention, memory, and decision-making skills in compulsive hoarding. This research is being done in order to better understand how the neurological mechanisms of attention function. A total of 20 adults with compulsive hoarding and attention-related difficulties who are at least 18 years of age will participate in the study. Participants who complete the study will be compensated $100 total for their time.
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