Address Our Mess Reveals Startling Estimate of Hoarders in the United States
Mount Laurel, New Jersey (PRWEB) October 09, 2013 -- In a recent report published by hoarding clean up professionals Address Our Mess entitled How Many Hoarders in the US, it has been estimated that two to five percent of the United States population suffers from the debilitating effects of the hoarding condition. According to US News’ Robert Schlesinger, in his report U.S. Population 2013: More Than 315 Million People, the US population is approximated to be 315,091,138 people. Of these, over 15.7 million people are suffering with the condition.
This figure of 15.7 million people is more than the population of 45 of the 50 United States of America. Hoarders across America are greater in numbers than the combined populations of Pennsylvania (12.7 million) and its neighboring state of West Virginia (1.8 million).
The estimate of those in dire need of professional hoarding clean up services is based on research done by mental health professionals and service industry leaders like Address Our Mess. With cleanup locations in twenty five US states, Address Our Mess is a leading authority in clutter clean up. Project managers estimate that even more hoarders have yet to be uncovered. Research has determined that women are more likely to report cases than men. Because hoarding can be considered an objective condition, many laws do not protect against hoarding in a home. Therefore, the reported number of cases involving hoarding could grow exponentially if more men decided to seek the help they need for their condition.
Hoarding is a crippling disorder whose impacts can deeply damage the life of those faced with it every day. In order to learn how to help a hoarder, one must first understand how negative impacts span the spectrum of daily life including physical dangers, mental and emotional vices, financial burdens, and social anxieties.
Physical dangers include deadly fire hazards, structural damage to the home, biohazards and spreading of disease, and asphyxiation due to entrapment under collapsed mounds of hoarded items. Most of these cases stem from mental or emotional trauma that previously occurred. Hoarders who refuse help will allow those traumatic experiences to compound over time and create unbearable stress. The stress and anxiety will lead to social disorders, as most hoarders have proven to alienate themselves from even their closest family and friends.
Finally, financial burdens can drive a hoarder out of their cluttered house and into the poor house. Types of hoarding exacerbated by compulsive shopping habits or junk collecting will begin to pile debts higher than the piles of clutter and garbage in a hoarder’s home.
In order for the estimated 15.7 million hoarders to begin on their road to recovery, they must desire to live in a safe, sanitary environment. Benefits of hiring a hoarding cleaning service include creating a healthier lifestyle while learning how to avoid becoming a hoarder again in the future.
Vincent Marone, SI Restoration, http://www.si-restoration.com, +1 (856) 437-6068, [email protected]
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