- A study in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease examined homelessness among diagnosed hoarders.
- One in five face eviction, such rates are five to 10 times more than that of the general population estimates.
- Hoarding disorder is not a private problem, but a public health issue.
The excessive acquisition of objects, animals, or food is a characteristic of hoarding disorder. This is followed by the inability to discard these items. The result is excessively cluttered living spaces, often leading to unsanitary living conditions that can, in turn, become a public health problem.
Rodriguez and colleagues investigated this issue in their publication entitled, “Prevalence of hoarding disorder in Individuals at risk of eviction in New York City: A Pilot Study.”This examination was groundbreaking because previous studies had overlooked hoarders who were close to homelessness. Rodriguez and his colleagues filled this gap by quantifying its presence. The incidence of v in the general population ranges from 2 to 5 percent.
To examine homelessness among hoarders, the research group partnered with Eviction Intervention Services, a New York City nonprofit that offers support to individuals facing eviction. Their study included 115 adult participants who were seeking assistance from the intervention. The researchers used two assessment tools: a clinician-administered psychiatric evaluation to diagnose hoarding and self-report questionnaires to assess the severity of hoarding behaviors. The assessment focused on several key measurements, including the prevalence of hoarding as determined by both clinical interviews and self-reports. Whether the participants were currently facing eviction or had previously experienced eviction was verified. Additionally, there was documentation of whether those diagnosed with hoarding were receiving mental health services.
Conclusions from the Study…