Completed

Cognitive and Behavioral Treatment of Compulsive Hoarding

0 criteria met from your profileSee at a glance how your profile meets each eligibility criteria.
What is being tested

Cognitive Behavioral Treatment

Behavioral
Who is being recruted

Hoarding Disorder+1

+ Anxiety Disorders

+ Mental Disorders

Over 18 Years
+7 Eligibility Criteria
See all eligibility criteria
How is the trial designed

Treatment Study

Phase 1
Interventional
Study Start: September 2003
See protocol details

Summary

Principal SponsorBoston University Charles River Campus
Last updated: January 28, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Study start date: September 1, 2003

Actual date on which the first participant was enrolled.

Compulsive hoarding is characterized by excessive acquisition of possessions, difficulty discarding possessions, and excessive clutter. This condition is resistant to standard pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions that have proven effective in treating other obsessive compulsive spectrum disorders. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a specialized cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) designed for treating hoarding symptoms. This study consists of three phases. In Phase 1, pilot data from previous studies were examined to develop an intervention suitable for use in a waitlist trial. In Phase 2, pilot study information were used to develop and test a treatment manual for compulsive hoarding. During this phase, treatment was applied flexibly to allow for variations in treatment duration and choice of techniques. During Phase 3, participants were randomly assigned to 26 weekly sessions of CBT or to a 12-week wait-list control, followed by active treatment for a fixed duration of 26 sessions. Therapist adherence and competence were assessed through audiotaped therapy sessions.

Official TitleCognitive and Behavioral Treatment of Compulsive Hoarding
NCT00073346
Principal SponsorBoston University Charles River Campus
Last updated: January 28, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Protocol

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
Design Details

52 patients to be enrolled

Total number of participants that the clinical trial aims to recruit.

Treatment Study

These studies test new ways to treat a disease, condition, or health issue. The goal is to see if a new drug, therapy, or approach works better or has fewer side effects than existing options.

Eligibility

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Conditions
Criteria

Any sex

Biological sex of participants that are eligible to enroll.

Over 18 Years

Range of ages for which participants are eligible to join.

Healthy volunteers not allowed

If individuals who are healthy and do not have the condition being studied can participate.

Conditions

Pathology

Hoarding DisorderAnxiety DisordersMental DisordersObsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Criteria

2 inclusion criteria required to participate
Display at least moderately severe hoarding symptoms
Must live within 45 minutes of Boston, MA or Hartford, CT
5 exclusion criteria prevent from participating
Ten or more sessions of cognitive behavior therapy for hoarding
Concurrent psychotherapy or medications
Suicidal, psychotic, or other psychiatric symptoms requiring hospitalization
Compulsive buying symptoms that are part of a manic phase of bipolar disorder
Show More Criteria

Study Plan

Find out more about all the medication administered in this study, their detailed description and what they involve.
Treatment Groups
Study Objectives

One single intervention group is designated in this study

This study does not include a placebo group 

Treatment Groups

Group I

Experimental
Cognitive behavior therapy included 26 sessions of motivational enhancements; skills training for sorting, organizing and problem solving; direct practice not acquiring new items and discarding possessions to remove clutter and organize possessions; cognitive therapy to evaluate beliefs about possessions; and relapse prevention skills.

Study Objectives

Primary Objectives

Secondary Objectives

Study Centers

These are the hospitals, clinics, or research facilities where the trial is being conducted. You can find the location closest to you and its status.

This study has 2 locations

Suspended

Hartford Hospital, Institute of Living

Hartford, United StatesOpen Hartford Hospital, Institute of Living in Google Maps
Suspended

BostonUCRC

Boston, United States
Completed2 Study Centers