Prevalence of Hoarding Disorder in Individuals at Potential Risk of Eviction in New York City A Pilot Study JOURNAL OF NERVOUS AND MENTAL DISEASE Rodriguez, C. I., Herman, D., Alcon, J., Chen, S., Tannen, A., Essock, S., Simpson, H. B. 2012; 200 (1): 91-94

Abstract

This study estimated the prevalence of hoarding disorder (HD) in individuals seeking help from Eviction Intervention Services Housing Research Center (EIS), a not-for-profit community organization in New York City (NYC) that aids clients with housing problems including eviction. One hundred fifteen EIS clients were screened for HD. The prevalence of HD among those seeking help from EIS was 22% (clinician-rated) and 23% (self-rated), which is nearly 5 to 10 times greater than the rate of hoarding (2% to 5%) in the general population. Of individuals seeking help from EIS who met the criteria for HD (n = 25), 32% were currently in legal eviction proceedings (i.e., threatened with imminent eviction), 44% had a history of previous legal eviction proceedings, and 20% had been evicted from their home one or more times, yet only 48% were currently seeking mental health treatment. Almost a quarter of individuals seeking help for housing problems from a community eviction prevention organization met the criteria for HD; only about half of these individuals were receiving mental health treatment. Future studies are needed to determine whether HD treatment can reduce the risk of eviction and homelessness in NYC.

View details for DOI 10.1097/NMD.0b013e31823f678b

View details for Web of Science ID 000298636600013

View details for PubMedID 22210369