Psychosocial Interventions for Hoarding Disorder: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Hoarding disorder (HD) is primarily characterised by difficulties with discarding possessions. Evidence-based psychological interventions such as CBT have been found to be of benefit to people with HD. However, people with HD may receive a psychosocial intervention provided by other professions such as social workers or a multi-disciplinary team before receiving psychological therapy, if at all. Objectives: The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate psychosocial interventions for HD. Method: Searches were conducted on three databases (PsycInfo; MEDLINE; Embase) and grey literature, and the search strategy was designed to capture psychosocial interventions for adults with HD. Results: Studies (n=5) were included where the outcome was related to a psychosocial factors, such as fire safety, tenancy preservation and QoL. These psychosocial interventions show improvements in those with HD, with effect sizes ranging from d=0.86 to d=1.41. Conclusions: Despite the limited research on psychosocial interventions for HD, this systematic review suggests it is a promising area for further research in this area. Key learning aims (1) To identify what psychosocial interventions are available for people experiencing hoarding difficulties. (2) To identify how available psychosocial interventions for hoarding difficulties are delivered and by whom. (3) To examine the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for people experiencing hoarding difficulties.