Hoarders on A&E, do you watch?

[starann]

It is amazing how common Hoarding is. As a visiting nurse I go into people's homes everyday and some of the things that I have seen Hoarding is VERY common, esp with the elderly.

It used to really bother me, but now, I see it all the time. I can't understand why people save some of the stuff they save, but I know it is a mental disorder above all else. There was one time I had to call a social worker on a patient. He had been discharged from the hospital and were were out to see him for medication treatment and cardio assessment. Come to find out he takes care of his even older mother (in her 90's). There was a rabbit trail thru out the house, waist high, but mom was left to lay in bed all day. Sadly the state came in and removed the mother...her son could not care for her the way she needed to be. He lived in an apartment building. Which brings up the public safety issue. My DH is a fire inspector and is often called in on hoarding cases when the person lives in buildings shared with others. It then becomes a fire hazard. Don't get me wrong, my DH is not a hard bottom....he tries to get them help from churches, family, boy scouts and often it isn't until a fine or eviction is threatened that Hoarders are willing to get SOME help.


I watch the show, if I remember, but since I can see it just about anyday of the week, if something else is on, I watch that.

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

I think my in-laws are well on their way to being hoarders. Thing is, it's not their house. My FIL has a large shop building/garage on the property and it's filled with stuff and has "rabbit trails" as someone else described running through it. Since that is full he has build about a dozen small garden sheds and now they are full. Once he gets a shed full he starts to build another one. The house isn't too bad but I don't know what we will ever do with all of his sheds...

 

[edandcolleen1995]

your sheer ignorance of the subject is astounding. i don't care if you "believe" in depression, cancer, or post traumatic stress disorder, but they are all real. hoarding is no different.

Sorry but if you think for a second that hoarding old newspapers is like having cancer, I really do have pity for you..

Honestly, you want to compare keep 30 year old newspapers or phone books to having lung cancer!!!

Sorry Sparx but you are the one showing sheer ignorance on the subject, not me....

 

[kwelch10377]

Sorry but if you think for a second that hoarding old newspapers is like having cancer, I really do have pity for you..

Honestly, you want to compare keep 30 year old newspapers or phone books to having lung cancer!!!

Sorry Sparx but you are the one showing sheer ignorance on the subject, not me....

I found this regarding hoarding:

"Brain imaging studies (PET) have shown that the cerebral glucose metabolism patterns seen in OCD hoarders were distinct from the patterns in non-hoarding OCD. The most notable difference in these patterns was the decreased activity of the dorsal anterior cingulated gyrus, a part of the brain that is responsible for focus, attention and decision making.[8] A 2004 University of Iowa study found that damage to the frontal lobes of the brain can lead to poor judgment and emotional disturbances, while damage to the right medial prefrontal cortex of the brain tends to cause compulsive hoarding."

Just like depression or cancer it is a disease.

 

[Sparx]

Sorry but if you think for a second that hoarding old newspapers is like having cancer, I really do have pity for you..

Honestly, you want to compare keep 30 year old newspapers or phone books to having lung cancer!!!

Sorry Sparx but you are the one showing sheer ignorance on the subject, not me....

i am so glad you have never been touched by this horrible disease, but maybe if you had been, you would understand. or maybe if you had been educated about mental disorders, you would understand. or maybe if you weren't so ignorant to the problems of others, you would understand.

hoarding shows up on pet scans. how can you say that that isn't a physical disease?

 

[Sparx]

It is amazing how common Hoarding is. As a visiting nurse I go into people's homes everyday and some of the things that I have seen Hoarding is VERY common, esp with the elderly.

It used to really bother me, but now, I see it all the time. I can't understand why people save some of the stuff they save, but I know it is a mental disorder above all else. There was one time I had to call a social worker on a patient. He had been discharged from the hospital and were were out to see him for medication treatment and cardio assessment. Come to find out he takes care of his even older mother (in her 90's). There was a rabbit trail thru out the house, waist high, but mom was left to lay in bed all day. Sadly the state came in and removed the mother...her son could not care for her the way she needed to be. He lived in an apartment building. Which brings up the public safety issue. My DH is a fire inspector and is often called in on hoarding cases when the person lives in buildings shared with others. It then becomes a fire hazard. Don't get me wrong, my DH is not a hard bottom....he tries to get them help from churches, family, boy scouts and often it isn't until a fine or eviction is threatened that Hoarders are willing to get SOME help.


I watch the show, if I remember, but since I can see it just about anyday of the week, if something else is on, I watch that.

its common with battered women, too.

 

[MushyMushy]

I just don't believe it is some medical condition. Sorry but just go there and throw the stuff out. I mean the person is not going to have a seizure or die (god forbid!) if someone does it.

When you are talking about children being taken away from parents or people living in horrible conditions, step in and correct it.

My sister stayed in my parents house. My parents passed and the rest of us siblings had to sell the house. We go there and that sister has stuff like a hoarder all over. We got rid of it ALL!. She stayed the 3 months till we sold the house and one of my other sisters went there weekly and purged if there was anything.

I guess my point is that you just get rid of it. If there is no family or someone looking out for them, then sure I understand how it gets and stays that bad. But if you do have guardian family/friends then get in there and clear it out.

You're just showing your own ignorance on the subject. Maybe you should do a bit of research before you dismiss legitimate mental disorders.

 

[MushyMushy]

I'm surprised to see how many people on the Dis have been touched by hoarding. I honestly had never heard of such a thing until I married my DH and met his step-grandmother. Her house was just as described by others... floor to ceiling papers, unopened boxes, junk. The weirdest thing they found during one of many junk purges was a chicken from 1970 stuck at the bottom of her deep freeze. She said we couldn't toss it because it was the last chicken her mama ever cut up.

Hoarding for her had to do with sentimentality over all else. She held on to things that held special meaning for whatever reason. Even 30 year old chicken.

One of my dearest friends spent the last few years of his life suffering from various severe mental disorders (to the point of having electroshock therapy as last ditch efforts to help him). After he died, his brother found the most bizarre things at his home, including his truck that he'd buried in his back yard. It took them a month to clean up everything. I don't think they'll ever get over that.

My heart breaks to think of my poor friend in that condition. He shut himself off from the world and just surrounded himself with stuff. He went from running a successful business, living in a nice home (always clean!), and being an outgoing, friendly guy to a hoarding recluse.

 

[dis-happy]

When did Tom Cruise start hiding out on the DIS? PPD? ...just get some exercise!

I've had cancer. I've been affected by alcoholism in my immediate family. Would much rather deal with the cancer dx.



Anyway, just want to say that this show is SCARY!!!
Makes me want to jump out of my chair, clean out a closet, and throw things away like mad.

Then, I turned on Bigger Loser one day. That scared me too! Better diet and exercise NOW!!

See? Enough reality TV and soon I'll be a perfect person, LOL.

 

[dispor]

I watch the show all the time. Most of the people they show clearly have the disorder. There have been a couple where I have thought "they're just slobs." But when you see someone clearly in anguish over throwing away five year old yogurt, that's a different story altogether. I think Patty's problem had more to do with a shopping addiction (just my opinion). I don't think two days is even remotely enough time to do any good. I hope the show puts these people in touch with local professional help.

I have also seen hoarding on the show Obsessed. It deals with it much more in depth and the mental health professional helps the people for months to overcome their issues.

Remember the hoarder they featured on Oprah? They did one follow up with her. I hope they do another. The last time they checked in, she was doing well.

I feel so sorry for the families that have to deal with this.

 

[edandcolleen1995]

I found this regarding hoarding:

"Brain imaging studies (PET) have shown that the cerebral glucose metabolism patterns seen in OCD hoarders were distinct from the patterns in non-hoarding OCD. The most notable difference in these patterns was the decreased activity of the dorsal anterior cingulated gyrus, a part of the brain that is responsible for focus, attention and decision making.[8] A 2004 University of Iowa study found that damage to the frontal lobes of the brain can lead to poor judgment and emotional disturbances, while damage to the right medial prefrontal cortex of the brain tends to cause compulsive hoarding."

Just like depression or cancer it is a disease.

You took this from Wiki!! Honestly that is open source and anyone can put their two cents in.. You can not come and quote places like that when anyone could type in their opinions.

Hoarding is just people that are too busy, lazy, tired etc to get rid of their junk. If you care, then go in and purge the junk and force them to move on. Really that simple

 

[HelenePA]

You took this from Wiki!! Honestly that is open source and anyone can put their two cents in.. You can not come and quote places like that when anyone could type in their opinions.

Hoarding is just people that are too busy, lazy, tired etc to get rid of their junk. If you care, then go in and purge the junk and force them to move on. Really that simple

You have no idea.. Are any of your relatives children of the depression era? Talk to them about it.. ask them if they ever threw anything away.. they didn't because they had no money and had the mind set "you'll never know when you'll need something" My grandmother was a hoarder but not to the extent of these shows she had clothes from when she was a teenager that her mom made her because "you'll never know when you'll need something"

 

[kwelch10377]

You took this from Wiki!! Honestly that is open source and anyone can put their two cents in.. You can not come and quote places like that when anyone could type in their opinions.

Hoarding is just people that are too busy, lazy, tired etc to get rid of their junk. If you care, then go in and purge the junk and force them to move on. Really that simple

Here is an article from New Science magazine that the info I posted was taken from

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg18024212.800-secret-of-compulsive-hoarding-revealed.html#


Since you seem to know so much about it, can you post a vaild study or article that states that hoarders are just too busy, tired or lazy?

 

[edandcolleen1995]

You have no idea.. Are any of your relatives children of the depression era? Talk to them about it.. ask them if they ever threw anything away.. they didn't because they had no money and had the mind set "you'll never know when you'll need something" My grandmother was a hoarder but not to the extent of these shows she had clothes from when she was a teenager that her mom made her because "you'll never know when you'll need something"

Wait so if you are a hoarder it is due to when you grew up? (btw my dad was born in 1921 and was not a hoarder, ).

Yet folks say it is a mental disorder (per Wiki no less).... So what is it?

The era excuse does not float water.. I grew up in the 70's and have no desire for disco music or burning my bra...

 

[kwelch10377]

Here is also some info that is from the Mayo Clinic:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hoarding/DS00966

 

[HelenePA]

Wait so if you are a hoarder it is due to when you grew up? (btw my dad was born in 1921 and was not a hoarder, ).

Yet folks say it is a mental disorder (per Wiki no less).... So what is it?

The era excuse does not float water.. I grew up in the 70's and have no desire for disco music or burning my bra...

I'm glad your dad doesn't suffer from the mind set of you'll never know when you'll need it like others from the same era.. good for him. I never said it was an excuse.. for my grandmother it was a learned behavior and a very hard one to change after so many years. I miss her

 

[Hidden_Mickey]

I just started watching it because it's on just before Paranormal State . I remember the other thread here recently. I find it fascinating. It must be an OCD disorder because nobody in their right mind would choose to live like that. It's a no brainer to most of us but these folks just can't part with stuff. When my MIL passed we cleaned out her house. Most of it looked fine but she had papers shoved in every corner, drawer and closet - tax returns from 1977! Eastern Airline plane tickets for their trip to WDW in 1980 when Spaceship Earth was being constructed! The closets... OMG... and the attic.... And it wasn't half as bad as these folks. My heart goes out to them, and their familes, who take the brunt of it. The one with Patty... there were "CRITTERS" and their droppings in the piles of stuff! The garbage just floors me. I could sort of understand some clutter, but a paper bag from McDonald's? All the stuff on the stove? Major fire hazard! And the stuff in the bathroom and in the tub? How does she shower? Stuff she bought and is still in the bags, never used? Imagine the debt these folks are in. Her husband is a saint. There is NO WAY I could put up with that. I do have some clutter on the counters and my desk but as it piles up it gives me agida and I clear it off once in a while. The sight of clutter gives me stress. I try to toss as much as I can and not buy more stuff. Did you see where the guy from MA went on a "no buy" trip to Home Depot? I wish my DH could do that! My DD takes after MIL... Her room is crazy with junk in every corner and clothes all over the floor. I make her make it presentable once every 6 weeks or so, so that it doesn't get out of control. I had to show her how to organize - keep (& organize), toss, or give away. I make her help me so she can learn how to do it. I also told her when she brings something else home for her room she should toss something out. It's a nice idea but I'm not sure it's working yet I still have to go in there and "get medieval" with a garbage bag once or twice a year.

 

[chisnpeke]

You took this from Wiki!! Honestly that is open source and anyone can put their two cents in.. You can not come and quote places like that when anyone could type in their opinions.

Hoarding is just people that are too busy, lazy, tired etc to get rid of their junk. If you care, then go in and purge the junk and force them to move on. Really that simple

Are you kidding me? I really do not know what to say to this.

I feel like I have a variance of this disorder. I keep magazines, papers that have sentimental value (such as letters from my grandparents) and other odd things. It would cause me pain to get rid of them. It has NOTHING to do with being lazy. I do not keep random papers and cups that have no meaning to me like the people in this show but I do know the feeling. I have a very very hard time getting rid of things that I have had all of my life and it would cause me emotional distress to do so.

These are real people with real feelings and issues that cannot be solved by just purging everything. I am disgusted that people think this way.

 

[HelenePA]

Are you kidding me? I really do not know what to say to this.

.

I had to erase what I had written the first 2 times I've never had points but I'm pretty sure I would have gotten them

 

[edandcolleen1995]

I'm glad your dad doesn't suffer from the mind set of you'll never know when you'll need it like others from the same era.. good for him. I never said it was an excuse.. for my grandmother it was a learned behavior and a very hard one to change after so many years. I miss her

Learned behavior? Ok so it is something your parents or grandparents teach you to do?

So you admit it is not a mental disorder and I totally agree with you on that! The people that want to say having (again god forbid) cancer vs keeping old newspaper clippings are living in another world..

Thank you Helene for helping me make my pint. I am very sorry about you missing your grandmother..