Submerged in stuff, hoarders keep collecting - Mental health- msnbc.com

Compulsive hoardingis a condition characterized by “[a]n overwhelming desire to acquire, save and compulsively collect an inordinate amount of stuff, so much stuff that it literally takes over the person’s life.” It is associated with OCD, and even depression, social phobia and ADHD, but brain scans provide further proof that it is a completely separate condition. "Hoarders were found to have lower activity in a specific part of the brain that’s involved in decision-making, focused attention and the regulation of emotion…. [P]atients with compulsive hoarding had a unique pattern of brain function abnormalities… not seen in other OCD patients, nor in the normal controls. It looks like compulsive hoarding is truly a distinctive diagnostic category.”

Compulsive hoarding may be genetic as it tends to run in families, but the good news is that it appears that it can be treated. In one study, fifty percent of those who underwent cognitive behavioral therapy showed marked improvement.

For more information on the neurobiology and treatment of compulsive hoarding, read this and this.