How many hoarders are in the us

Several scholars have suggested that hoarding hits a little too close to home. We all do daily battle against an excess of stuff. It flows into our homes, brought by FedEx and the U. Postal Service, snagged on Amazon, Facebook Marketplace, Freecycle, or a yard sale, inherited or handed down. It piles up in closets, basements, and garages. Almost 10 percent of American households are renting at least one storage space, often for an overflow of stuff, according to a Self Storage Industry Fact Sheet.

It is now possible for every American to stand comfortably, at the same time, under the total canopy of self-storage roofing. Those of us terrified by this prospect watch episodes of Hoarders or Hoarding: Buried Alive and race to declutter, muttering the KonMari principles as we hunt for sparks of joy amid the detritus.

But now we are glutted with stuff—and uneasy about the consequences. JSTOR is a digital library for scholars, researchers, and students. By: Jeannette Cooperman. January 16, February 18, Share Tweet Email Print. Get Our Newsletter. Have a correction or comment about this article? Please contact us. DSM-5's controversial debut: Diagnostic manual updates disorder criteria. Clutter, Clutter Everywhere. Scientific American Mind, Vol.

Understanding Hoarding Behaviors in the Elderly. The American Journal of Nursing, Vol. Anthropological Quarterly, Vol. Small Worlds: The soul-deadening magic of tidying up. Join Our Newsletter. Although symptoms typically begin in adolescence , they usually do not become problematic until mid- to late adulthood.

No one knows exactly why the disorder takes so long to manifest; perhaps as those with hoarding symptoms get older, their ability to decide what to discard becomes increasingly impaired. Or they might have fewer people around, like parents or spouses, to encourage them to get rid of unneeded items. And contrary to popular belief, the defining feature of hoarding disorder is not clutter. The most commonly hoarded items are everyday belongings: clothes, shoes, containers, tools and mechanical objects like nails and screws, household supplies, newspapers, mail and magazines.

Those with the disorder report feeling indecision about what to discard, or fear the item will be needed in the future. This trouble in disposing of items, even common items like junk mail, plastic bags and plastic containers, leads to the accumulation of clutter. Over time, living and work spaces become unusable. In addition to affecting living spaces, hoarding also causes problems between spouses, between parents and their children, and between friends.

Hoarding disorder has a substantial impact on public health, including not only lost work days but also increased rates of medical illness , depression, anxiety , risk of suicide and cognitive impairment. Hoarding-related clutter in homes increases the risk of falls , pest or vermin infestation, unstable or unsafe living conditions and difficulty with self-care.

What is the difference between stockpiling, panic buying and hoarding? Will someone who stockpiled toilet paper and hand sanitizer in the early days of the pandemic develop hoarding disorder? Or are they instead rational and thoughtful planners? While these terms are often used interchangeably, stockpiling and panic buying are not symptoms of hoarding disorder. Nor are they necessarily the result of a psychiatric or psychological condition.

Instead, stockpiling is a normal behavior that many people practice in preparation for a known or anticipated shortage. Despite this, there is some evidence of benefit from paroxetine, venlafaxine extended-release, amphetamine salts, methylphenidate, methylphenidate extended-release, and atomoxetine. There are no data on comparative efficacy between these drugs. These drugs should be considered only after better proven treatments—including cognitive behavioral therapy for hoarding disorder—have been attempted.

For some people, medications are helpful and may bring improvement in symptoms. If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of hoarding disorder, contact your doctor or mental health professional. In some communities, public health agencies can assist in addressing problems of hoarding and getting help for individuals affected. In some instances, it may be necessary for public health or animal welfare agencies to intervene. American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5, 5th Edition.

Postlethwaite, A. Prevalence of Hoarding Disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord , Nordsletten, A. Journal of Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders 2 3 , Frost, R. Development and validation of the Clutter Image Rating. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment 30 3 , Measurement of compulsive hoarding: Saving Inventory-Revised. Behav Res Ther 42 10 , Tolin, D. Psychiatry Res 1 , Carolyn Rodriguez, M.

Frost, Ph. View More. I agree.