Zbieractwo, czyli zespół Diogenesa u starszej osoby – opis przypadku

Anna Gutowska

doi:10.57655/EXLIBRIS_2_2025_5

Published : 2026-03-13

Vol. 29 No. 2 (2025)

Hoarding disorder, also known as Diogenes syndrome, in an older adult – a case study

Anna Gutowska

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5258-8772

DOI: https://doi.org/10.57655/EXLIBRIS_2_2025_5

Abstract

This article aims to present the case of a 72-year-old woman diagnosed with primary hoarding disorder – referred to in the literature as Diogenes syndrome – and to explore possibilities for supporting older adults from a socio-pedagogical perspective. This issue remains relatively underexamined in Polish non-medical research, despite its significant consequences for the individual’s functioning and their immediate environment. The article outlines the theoretical foundations of Diogenes syndrome, including its historical background, symptomatology, and multifactorial determinants, with particular emphasis on psychosocial and biographical factors typical of late adulthood. The empirical part of the study consists of a qualitative case study based on a narrative-biographical interview with the participant, analysis of medical records, and conversations with members of the therapeutic team and the family. The case analysis demonstrates the complexity of older adults’ functioning in the context of Diogenes syndrome and highlights the importance of long-term, relationship-based, interdisciplinary community support. The conclusions highlight the need to shift away from coercive measures toward approaches that respect older people’s autonomy, biography, and subjective experience, while underscoring the role of social pedagogy in preventing exclusion and reducing the stigmatization of older adults affected by pathological hoarding.

Keywords:

Diogenes syndrome, hoarding disorder, old age, case study

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Gutowska , A. (2026). Hoarding disorder, also known as Diogenes syndrome, in an older adult – a case study. Exlibris Social Gerontology Journal, 29(2), 87–101. https://doi.org/10.57655/EXLIBRIS_2_2025_5

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