How Many Hoarders are in the USA?

American hoarder population banner

Research has found that an estimated 2-6% of the world has hoarding disorder (IOCDF). Also, prevalence of hoarding disorder seems to be similar between different countries and cultures (American Psychiatric Association). Given that the USA has a population of around 300 million people, we can estimate that there are 6-15 million people affected by hoarding disorder in this country alone! As an example at the state level, in Delaware there are close to 900,000 people residing in the state, which means that an estimated 18,000 to 45,000 people are affected by hoarding disorder in Delaware alone. Those who are affected by hoarding disorder, whether a hoarder or a loved one; may take comfort in knowing that they are not alone.

Gain Trust with the Hoarder:

The best way to help the hoarder is to connect with them and gain their trust. Remind them that they are not alone, if the US has up to 15 million people affected by hoarding disorder, they can create their own country that would compete against other countries by population like Iceland, Cuba, and Israel. With that knowledge we hope that hoarders will start coming out and getting help knowing that they are truly not alone.

How to Communicate with a Hoarder?

It is also beneficial to the success of the recovery process to adhere to some of the social guidelines contained within our Do’s and Don’ts for Communicating with Hoarders guide (see below). By doing so, hoarders and their helpers alike (in combination with a mental health professional) will be able to understand one another while planning a successful course of action for the recovery process.

When communicating with a hoarder, remember the following.

Do’s and Don’ts of Communicating with Hoarders

Do's of Communicating with a Hoarder:

  1. Connect with The Individual
  2. Seek Professional Help (Find a Therapist & Hoarding Cleanup Service)
  3. Continue to Talk About the Situation
  4. Talk About Safety
  5. Agree That the Items Are Important
  6. Keep Everything Confidential
  7. Ask Why - In A Respectful Tone
  8. Promote Donation
  9. Be Patient
  10. Hire A Pro Hoarding Cleanup & Organization Service

Don'ts of Communicating with a Hoarder:

  1. Make Fun of The Hoarder’s Situation
  2. Say Let’s Get Rid of All This “Stuff”
  3. Get Angry
  4. Try to Reason Right Away
  5. Touch the Hoarder’s Items
  6. Treat the Hoarder Like a Child
  7. Treat Hoarders Like Criminals
  8. Make A Large Task List for The Hoarder
  9. Ask Why – In A Disrespectful Tone
  10. Let This Stress You Out

Please consider our company Address Our Mess for professional hoarding cleanup service. Call 410-589-2747, email info@addressourmess.com, or use our contact us page for more information. We are here to help!

Resources:

Wed, 02/29/2012 - 10:02 by Kenneth Donnelly