Community Chat

[sidsmom]

It's a horrible mental disease. That's why those shows always have ""aftercare"" funds for therapy. You can't fix it with just a clean.

[glb613]

There are categories or levels of hoarding. Level 5 is the worst and what was shown on the 2 different TV shows. The definition of hoarding is:

"Some hoarding in humans may be a form of mental illness, specifically obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD),^[1] where the perceived importance of the hoarded items far exceeds their true value.^[2] Humans may lose the desire to throw away unneeded items because of a feeling of attachment to these items. In severe cases, houses belonging to such people may become a fire hazard (due to blocked exits and stacked papers) or a health hazard (due to vermin infestation, excreta and detritus from excessive pets, hoarded food and garbage or the risk of stacks of items collapsing on the occupants and blocking exit routes).^[3]""

[gazelle77]

I do not understand the hoarders who do not throw out their trash. I can see liking dolls, or something.....but to just throw empty food containers on the floor...and walk on them rather than putting it in a garbage bag?

[Grade1Teach]

No, I don't know any true hoarders.

However, I do make fun of my husband for holding on to things that he thinks he will use one day. He has a hard time letting go of items, so it's up to me to help him along...

[aprilskies]

Years back before these shows came out. I never realized it was a disorder though. Sad situation but not for my friend. That is how she was comfortable. Sometimes, just garbage around that could be the thrown out. I don't get the garbage thing either.

[brii]

No, I don't know any hoarders. There is a distinction between true hoarding and just having too many things though

[Preds]

My mother.

[missy1]

On 3/6/2014 brii said: No, I don't know any hoarders. There is a distinction between true hoarding and just having too many things though

ITA. Hoarding is when you can't walk through your home or use the bathroom. Feces, food trash and other things like are on the floor.

[Lacey1]

Hoarding is definitely a component of mental illness. I've seen it many times while doing home health nursing. It is more prevalent than many people know. The behavior does not stop if the house is cleaned up, it will start up again. Cleaning and removing the 'hoard' can cause extreme emotional distress for these people. It is not limited to low income families, nor older people. In addition to being a health and fire hazard, hoarding can lead to social isolation.

Trying to establish a relationship with these patients was very tenuous. If we said anything about cleaning up the house-they would never let us in again. I think the 'Hoarders' TV show must be pure torture for the people on the show. They know they have a problem-but their hoarding gives them peace, as hard as it is for us to understand.

[nunya]

I don't understand the old food, garbage situation either. They had an episode where they shoveled 4000 lbs of cat poop out.