“Compulsive Hoarding is a mental disorder marked by an obsessive need to acquire and keep things, even if the items are worthless, hazardous, or unsanitary.  More than 3 million people are compulsive hoarders.  These are two of their stories.”

Every Monday night at 10 pm ET Hoarders on A&E begins with those three sentences.  Now in their second season, the program continues to show the very intimate details of the lives of the people they profile.

It’s still sometimes difficult to for me to watch, yet I find it very intriguing.  It’s a compelling program that sheds some light on the struggles of being a hoarder.  What I love about it, besides seeing some of my organizing colleagues on camera, is the fact that they provide therapists to help the hoarders through the decluttering process.  The therapists appear to be very understanding, kind, and respectful…no matter how unsanitary the situation may be.

Last Monday’s episode focused a bedbug infestation that forced a family with young children to sleep in a tent in their backyard…with temperatures in the 30′s…for 6 weeks. The condition of the home made it next to impossible to get it exterminated. As the temperatures dropped, they only had a few days to clear out their home so that it could be treated.  The other hoarder profiled collected 50,000 cans of beer – and that was only one of his collections.  He also amassed large quantities of matches, mini liquor bottles, bobble heads, vases, etc. His home was so cluttered that he had to hold on to whatever he could find so that he wouldn’t fall down.

Horrible?  Disgusting?  Weird?  Nasty?  While you might think that it’s all those things, it’s important to note that hoarding is a disorder, not a choice.  The things that you and I think of as trash usually are not the viewed in the same way by a hoarder.

Here’s what “Dr. Dickey,” the beer can collector, had to say about himself:

My house is messy.  I don’t think it’s filthy, but it certainly is messy.  I like to consider myself a collector, not a hoarder – but so does every other hoarder.

Even with that realization, it was extremely difficult for him to let of go of his things because they were reminders of his journey through life and all the pit stops he made along the way.  It seemed that getting rid of them, in his mind, would be like erasing his history.

So, are you wondering when collecting becomes hoarding?  Check out this recent OTR article by chronic disorganization expert, Ariane Benefit -Top 10 Signs that You are “Hoarding,” Not Just “Collecting.” In it, she makes clear distinctions between the two.

If you watch Hoarders, I’d love to hear what you think about it.  The next episode airs tonight, and yes, I’ll be watching.

**Note: Hoarding is a disorder, not a choice.  If you struggle with hoarding or know someone who does, visit the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD) to get more information.  Here are some additional resources:  Children of Hoarders and Hartford Hospital Anxiety Disorders Center.

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Related Articles

• Super Savers: Helping ‘Hoarders’ (online.wsj.com)
• Shopaholics Are Not Hoarders in Disguise (dallisonlee.com)
• Inside ‘Hoarders’ (timesunion.com)