The law prevents family members from taking over. All the family can do is report the conditions to the right authority and then the law decides what's to be done. Most times it's not what's best for the family to do it the law's way so they just deal with it the best they can. If the law would let family members restrain the hoarder in a mental facility someplace while the mess is cleaned up it would be better then dragging it out with the hoarder throwing a fit or be put in jail.

In my National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) group, we have two members who are hoarders. They hoard stuff plus "resuce" cats, which means that they have 25-30 cats living in the house. Now I love cats but those cats have peed and pooped everywhere and destroyed stuff so it is disgusting. Neither of them recognize this is an issue but would blame the other if they did recognize the problem. When I know they have kittens, I do provide kitten chow for mama and babies so they have good start. I do know they need help b/c at Thanksgiving time we gave them a turkey but they had to empty the freezer of dead cats before they could accept the gift. They had kept the cats in the freezer so they didn't rot before they could be buried. This is true in case you're wondering whether I made it up.

We have man & wife that live on 10 acres about a mile from here and the outside is as bad as the inside.

Nice people, if you met them on the street. They have 2 teenage children,(this is a very small community) The kids have their share of teasing and then some now that that show has put the spot-light on hoarders. It's really sad.

The bad thing is that the hoarder most often does not realize that they have a problem and "doing what's right" is very stressful for the hoarder. Without their participation and willingness to go through the ordeal, if someone just goes in and "cleans up" or throws out the rubbish, that will only result in more hoarding. It is a mental illness and it takes serious long-term support to help these people.

It pains me to watch them agonize over scraps of garbage and their inability to recognize it as such. To the hoarder, even the garbage can have paralyzing meaning.

I will have to look this up and post a link to the article but there was a place in New York I believe that these brothers were such hoarders that they eventually died because of it.....Crushed to death by their own stuff. They had something to do with the sewing machine industry, and this all happened in the 1920's if I remember correctly.

But I am a hoarder as such with all of my sewing machines, car parts and cars, but they are all neatly tucked away, labeled and very organized.

My friends tell me I have my own NAPA store in my garage! :lol: :lol: :lol:

I have enough parts here I could build at least 3 or 4 cars never leaving my garage for anything.

I even have a complete set of vintage (and a few new) catalogs in a rack just like the old parts stores used to have. It comes in very handy when I have to find parts for these kids that work behind the counter have no idea how to look up anything. I just give them a part number and its all good! Plus it helps me find what I need from everything that I have amassed through the years.

Billy

I don't think I could watch it.

When I requested membership in our local freerecycle club (thank you to whomever posted the info on this org), I told them that I'm a very organized pack rat who has reached her rattiness level! I think Lostn51 and I have some similarities, in that regard. Several times I have de-cluttered only to re-clutter; very expensive! I've decided that I need a certain level of "stuff" in order to feel comfortable and secure. But, again, I know there's a limit!

The way I look at it is that some of these car parts I have they will never make anymore and if I can get a deal on them go ahead and buy it because I might could use it later.

I bought 3 rare hoods for a 1932 Ford for $100 for all three. I sold 2 of them a couple years ago for $1500 each. I also have a set of 1934 Ford Roadster fenders that were new old stock I bought 20 years ago for $15 each. I have been offered $3500 for the pair and I might let them go for $4500. But everything has its place on the wall in my garage and in the attics. I am a neat freak and can not stand clutter so you dont really know how much stuff I have until you really start looking.

Billy

Billy, you should meet my boyfriend's brother in Maine. He used to be the top Chrysler mechanic in the country. He has an enormous garage that sounds a lot like yours.

I absolutely believe hoarding is a type of OCD...absolutely!
It is not just being lazy, greedy or lack of motivation, it is a 'drive' or obsession. I'm glad they are reevaluating it. Good to know. :thumbup: