This tv show is fascinating to me. I knew a hoarder and didn't know she was until after her death. I was shocked. This show is so very real in how expert these people are at keeping their secret and how the family keeps it for them too! That is the part I don't understand, how the family can live like that. The quilter I knew that was a hoarder was a very nice looking woman, always dressed nice, with a salon do and make up whenever she was out. The few times I was at her house she always met me at the door and was either leaving or had to get ready to leave so I was never invited in. No one else were ever in the house except her family.
Her house was beautiful on the outside, two story plantation type house. You never know, so sad.

I was JUST writing an email to a friend about Hoarders to remind her it was on. I watched 2 episodes about Hoarding last night on TLC, or one of the other channels. I don't understand how people can live like that. But I have to say, watching those shows makes me feel better about the mess I live in :) Suddenly it doesn't look so bad!!!

I was able to come up close and personal with a hoarder. She had a 5000 square foot home with a 2 car garage and an outdoor wine cellar. Needless to say you could barely move in any of the rooms. Floor to ceiling! I saw up close and personal what hoarding is and am saddened by it! It took 3 days, 25 plus men, 12 30 yard rolloffs and about 10 of the huge moving trucks to get everything out of the house. She had pets that used the house as their toilet and rodents as well :-( A very sad situation indeed to see what some of these people live like and to watch the families do nothing and let it happen :-( After being so up close and personal with it I can not watch the show. It is truly a horrific situation.
Hugs
April

I felt so bad for the guy when his girlfriend came in and started ranting and raving about how nuts he was. Interesting when the one doctor said that the industry is reevaluating whether Hoarding should be classified among the OCD family because the sufferers don't respond to standard treatment.

I have a daughter that is a hoarder and doesn't clean. What to do. I have tried to help because she has four children and a husband. I don't know what to do. I clean one day and it's back the same way the next. Help!

Hoarding is a mental illness. The reason for the hoarding has to be addressed before anyone can be "fixed". I sure hope your daughter gets help-with kids it can become a bad situation because they can take them away if they feel the children are in a dangerous or hazardous to their health conditions.
I wish her the best and you the strength to help her!
Hugs
April

It must be such a controlling and sad feeling to be afraid of not having enough, or maybe having to do without. My son in-law adopted a little girl who hoards food. She has to be medicated to deal with life. at the age of four she was still hiding things and now she is ten???? In a day's time, she can hide more food than you can imagine, behind books under bed, in shoes...bread by the slice, cheese in toys, besides cereal everywhere. Thank goodness she doesn't bother with liquids. She was such a basket case but it has taken pure hands on and loving companionship to enforce that she has no need to think she will be without food. She has been weened from heavy meds, only during health crisis is it monitored closely. Before adoption, they took, all her pockets away and she slept in a bare room. Toy room was shared with others.....but you could find a trail of sugar ants and know something was hidden. Bless the little children who have known dispare. Bless them everyone.

I only have the basic reception cable, so I don't get A&E. I'd be interested in watching it, though I saw a program (maybe Oprah?) once about a woman who hoarded and it sickened me.

I knew a woman once who hoarded. She was one of those people you think are totally together, someone you'd choose to lean on in a pinch - but she had this other side. In her case, it's partly about loneliness. She has a boyfriend and a thousand friends, but no real family. She and the boyfriend have been together for decades, but they're never going to live together because he likes things clutter-free.

this past winter we had two fires in the area, and neither could out, because of hording.so sad.
it is a mental illness,and therapy and meds are needed to help deal with it. i have a neighbor who is like this.the house is not "dirty" or rotting food laying out..just cluttered, she must have 50 boxed of foil,wraps, hundreds of boxes christmas wrapping..i don't think she has ever thrown out a newpaper. she is old . they can't help it..they don't mean to be that way.

The A&E website has two episodes for viewing. They change them every so often.