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Hoarding: a community health problem.

Randy O. Frost1, Gail Steketee, Lauren Williams

  • 1Department of Psychology, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts andBoston University, School of Social Work, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Health & Social Care in the Community
|September 19, 2001
PubMed
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Hoarding behavior, the accumulation of useless items, frequently leads to health and safety risks. Animal hoarding cases are particularly serious and challenging to resolve.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Environmental Health
  • Mental Health

Background:

  • Hoarding behavior involves accumulating possessions, often to a degree that impairs functioning and poses health risks.
  • The frequency and severity of hoarding behavior complaints to public health departments are not well understood.
  • Severe hoarding can endanger individuals and their communities, necessitating public health intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the frequency of hoarding behavior complaints received by health departments in Massachusetts.
  • To explore the nature and circumstances of these hoarding complaints.
  • To assess the perceived seriousness and community impact of hoarding behavior.

Main Methods:

  • A survey was administered to 88 health officers in Massachusetts, serving 1.79 million people.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Data on hoarding behavior complaints received over a five-year period were collected.
  • In-depth case studies were conducted for 58 selected hoarding complaints.

    • Main Results:

    • 64% of health officers reported at least one hoarding complaint; 471 cases were documented.
    • Complaints often involved multiple community agencies and incurred significant community costs.
    • Only 50% of hoarders recognized sanitation issues; less than 33% cooperated with resolutions.
    • Animal hoarding was identified as more severe and difficult to manage than non-animal hoarding.

    Conclusions:

    • Hoarding behavior is a prevalent issue reported to health departments, posing significant risks to individual and community health and safety.
    • Hoarding cases frequently require multi-agency involvement and can be costly to the community.
    • Addressing hoarding behavior is challenging due to low self-awareness among hoarders and limited cooperation, with animal hoarding presenting greater difficulties.