[JSC]

WHY WOULD THE TEENS LIVE LIKE THAT? why do they not clean up ?? if they do not like it. They live there. & mom is disabled .(so she says )UUUUGGG

[JSC]

JSC, on 20 March 2012 - 08:20 PM, said:

WHY WOULD THE TEENS LIVE LIKE THAT? why do they not clean up ?? if they do not like it. They live there. & mom is disabled .(so she says )UUUUGGG

Oh & she says she has fibromyalgia. That hurts, but is NOT debilitaing

[JSC]

JSC, on 20 March 2012 - 08:29 PM, said:

Oh & she says she has fibromyalgia. That hurts, but is NOT debilitaing

I just think it can't be true. Discussing. why would 2 teens live like that ? & the bathroom >OMG!
My Hubby has always said these shows are "made for TV." not real

This post has been edited by JSC: 20 March 2012 - 08:43 PM

[myangel107]

What channel? I can't find it?

[JSC]

myangel107, on 20 March 2012 - 08:42 PM, said:

What channel? I can't find it?

256

[MsGaStorm]

Fibromyalgia can disable you. I know someone who has legally been classified as disabled by it for over 15 years. No, not me. She had to spend over $10,000 on a lawyer and both she and her previous employer went to court to prove that she is disabled. She is very thankful that her previous employer and doctor stood up for her. Just because someone "doesn't look disabled" doesn't mean that they aren't. You cannot possibly know someone else's pain since you cannot live inside their body to know it.

[Lady Raider]

I have tried to watch that show, and i can not.. the one time i did watch it i cleaned so much the next day, and threw stuff away, my husband already says i have OCD when he came home from work he ask if there was anything left in the house lol. I know that is a real disorder, but some of that is just laziness, and that disorder is used for an excuse. and unfortunately the ones who really do have that disorder do not see anything wrong with the way they live.

[ChocoMare]

Alas, it is sadly VERY real. My best friend works part time for a clean up company that specializes in hoarders and situations where a deceased person has lain for some time. It's NOT pretty at all, hence why the pay is so good.

Most ironic case was when they cleaned the 3 BR condo of a prominent professor of psychology from GA State University. There was 2 feet of debris everywhere and don't even ask about the bathroom. It took Courtney 5 days of work, while enrobed in a Tyvek Suit wearing a respirator & industrial gloves, to get it clean.

Worst of all, most hoarders return to the behavior.

[Thoughts]

I'm in 30 houses a week and I can tell you most certainly it is real. I've been in houses that have a 6ft high pile of garbage in the livingroom. Problem is that 80% of people are what I call "pilers". Let's face it, after 5 or 6 years you start to run out of places to put your crap. Most pilers never get to the hoarder stage and I think hoarder is wrong termanology anyways. I've met true "packrats", it's a mental issue. When you go into a packrats home you see it's things that have been stored away for some future use. Packrats will also get highly irate if you touch their stuff. Hoarders have a better termanology... Lazy... The pileing situ get's away from them and they do nothing about it. Some can't do anything about it because of disability, but most, they are lazy and it gets beyond their ability to deal with it, so they don't...

[ButterflyLion]

Thoughts, on 21 March 2012 - 08:17 AM, said:

I'm in 30 houses a week and I can tell you most certainly it is real. I've been in houses that have a 6ft high pile of garbage in the livingroom. Problem is that 80% of people are what I call "pilers". Let's face it, after 5 or 6 years you start to run out of places to put your crap. Most pilers never get to the hoarder stage and I think hoarder is wrong termanology anyways. I've met true "packrats", it's a mental issue. When you go into a packrats home you see it's things that have been stored away for some future use. Packrats will also get highly irate if you touch their stuff. Hoarders have a better termanology... Lazy... The pileing situ get's away from them and they do nothing about it. Some can't do anything about it because of disability, but most, they are lazy and it gets beyond their ability to deal with it, so they don't...

How often do you see a household that seems balanced?

People are stressed and it seems to show up in different areas with different people. There are people that have too much stuff vs. those with compulsively bare furnishings and people who eat too much vs. those with anorexia, etc.

Now there are shows profiling people who eat dirt, drink finger nail polish, cannot bare to cut their toenails, etc.

[MissSophie]

I watch it sometimes. But I get ticked off. I say take them to Disneyland and send all the crap to the dump. I can't be that patient with someone who lives in filth. My daughter lived across the hall in an apartment bldg. once from a hoarder. The girl could barely get her door open to squeeze inside. She would sometimes change her clothes in the hallway. She finally reached the point where family was afraid for her and she had to be moved out. My daughter said it was so sad. And she would also find her asleep in the hall.

[ChocoMare]

Only good thing about watching that show is it spurs you on the clean out and declutter! When the A & E version came out, I went nuts. Gave away 2 pick up truck loads worth of stuff to a not-for-profit thrift shop and threw away the rest. Felt great!!!

[Thoughts]

We have a rule, if you can't find it in under 5 minutes or a dead relative didn't give it you, throw it away...

[ButterflyLion]

Thoughts, on 21 March 2012 - 01:43 PM, said:

We have a rule, if you can't find it in under 5 minutes or a dead relative didn't give it you, throw it away...

That's one obstacle one of therapists mentioned that worked with people on one of the shows. She mentioned that some of her clients feel very responsible and don't want to waste something useful. They want to see that it is recycled, sold, donated, given away, etc.

[LPPT]

Having had a family member that was a severe hoarder, 2 homes with multiple out buildings stacked to the ceiling I know how hard it can be on them and their loved ones.

I believe that it is a control issue, we know from studies that even the most stable people can become emotionally distraught when they feel that they are out of control such as a family member dying,a divorce, illness, loss of employment.

I believe these people transfer their need to feel in control to inanimate objects.
They can control the objects on all levels, emotionally and physically, they truly have an emotional attachment to old piece of newspaper that won't ever hurt their feelings or leave them. They are in control of the object and it makes them feel safe.
By keeping that object they are maintaining control over their surroundings.

Donating, recycling objects are just an effort to keep maintaining their control.
I think it is unfortunate that people going through stress get satisfaction for their pain by holding on to inanimate objects, but hey they are not ever going to tell you to go to hell.

I don't know what the solution to the problem is, ultimately removing them from a hoard hurts them much worse than the pain of watching them live and die in it.
Hoarding is nearly incurable, you will never mean as much to that person as their hoard does, they truly are emotionally invested in every scrap of paper.
My heart goes out to folks that have to deal with a loved one that really doesn't love them back in the same way.

[Riptides]

JSC, on 20 March 2012 - 08:42 PM, said:

I just think it can't be true. Discussing. why would 2 teens live like that ? & the bathroom >OMG!
My Hubby has always said these shows are "made for TV." not real

Your hubby is correct these shows are "made for TV", or at least the narrative is.
In all the reality shows there is always going to be a thread of truth, but in most circumstances the truth in itself is too boring to fill up 44min of TV, so the producers tend to stretch things somewhat, edit things people say certain ways, and suddenly with all the right shots and cuts, you got your drama filled 44min of reality TV with the tears at the right moments and smiles and good feelings at the end.

[momof2]

I have a family member who is diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic and OCD. It is so incredibly sad. He is at least an organized hoarder (stacks and stacks of newspapers and magazines,buy one bookcase then buy 15, etc). I cannot watch the show anymore because a lot of these people seem to have some sort of mental illness. This is very real.

[A Gipper Girl]

Hoarders are real. I 've now had 2 neighbors(one was in Paulding)who were hoarders but nobody really knew it until they lost their homes and everything was opened up to clean.

I like watching the show even though it is hard to watch at times. I borderline on the other extreme- clean freak, love to organize everything and get a thrill from throwing things away. That's why being on total bedrest right now is really working on me mentally. I am only allowed to do what is absolutely necessary to live and I hate it. It's driving me nuts.


There was a Pcommer(cant remember who exactly)who knew someone whose home was the topic of a Hoarders episode. It seemed like from her the filming of the show is pretty realisitic.

[GGinGA]

My son and I were watching this show a year or so ago and talking about how disgusting it would be to live like that. I casually mentioned that he was heading for a starring role in that show, judging by the way his bedroom looked. He collects military helmets and he used to have them stacked all around the floor of his room. He had a small path to walk on either side of his bed and his closet. He asked me to buy a few storage containers for him and he packed them up and put them in the attic. His room is very tidy now!

I can tell your for sure that these shows are staged. MY best friend and her daugther were in an episode of Made on Mtv last year. They put stuff in there and edited to make it looked like my friend said certain things that she never said. My friend's parents are very supportive of her and her daughter but when they went with her to drop the daughter off at a "fat farm", they refused to let the grandparents be seen and they filmed so it looked like my friend dropped her daughter off at the door and just drove away. My friend cuts hair for a living and keeps soda in her refridgerator for her clients to drink. I have known her for almost 30 years and she drinks water contstantly - never, ever soft drinks. They filmed the inside of her fridge, showing all the soft drinks like "this is why her daugher is fat'. She was pissed. They followed them around town to see what they did on their "off" time, etc. You wouldn't believe what they went through.

[Riptides]

A Gipper Girl, on 22 March 2012 - 01:33 AM, said:

Hoarders are real. I 've now had 2 neighbors(one was in Paulding)who were hoarders but nobody really knew it until they lost their homes and everything was opened up to clean.

I like watching the show even though it is hard to watch at times. I borderline on the other extreme- clean freak, love to organize everything and get a thrill from throwing things away. That's why being on total bedrest right now is really working on me mentally. I am only allowed to do what is absolutely necessary to live and I hate it. It's driving me nuts.


There was a Pcommer(cant remember who exactly)who knew someone whose home was the topic of a Hoarders episode. It seemed like from her the filming of the show is pretty realisitic.

I would never suggest that the situations these people are in, the actual problems they face, and what they have to deal with that leads them to want to horde is fake on the show. I'm suggesting it's mainly just the narrative, the story we're presented is what is manipulated to a great degree to effect how we take in what we're viewing. While such a persons story alone is interesting, you've still got to present a beginning, a midddle, and an end with some type of resolution. Throw in some dramatic moments, maybe a bit of friction, etc.. I just find reality TV to be a bit over manipulative at times in it's presentation.

I know someone here in Paulding posted about participating in that childrens Tiara's show. While they posted their experiences and said they felt good about it, they have really ZERO clue what the final narrative is going to be when editing is done on their episode. The narrative will be what ultimately entertains and dictates how you feel about them when it airs.

But I suppose all I'm stressing is one should remain aloof and not get so caught up when watching these shows, remember they're just for entertainment. And any of these shows, if they can actually help those folks who're the subject of them, then so much for the better, especially if they can entertain you in the process.

[A Gipper Girl]

Riptides, on 22 March 2012 - 08:16 AM, said:

I would never suggest that the situations these people are in, the actual problems they face, and what they have to deal with that leads them to want to horde is fake on the show. I'm suggesting it's mainly just the narrative, the story we're presented is what is manipulated to a great degree to effect how we take in what we're viewing. While such a persons story alone is interesting, you've still got to present a beginning, a midddle, and an end with some type of resolution. Throw in some dramatic moments, maybe a bit of friction, etc.. I just find reality TV to be a bit over manipulative at times in it's presentation.

I know someone here in Paulding posted about participating in that childrens Tiara's show. While they posted their experiences and said they felt good about it, they have really ZERO clue what the final narrative is going to be when editing is done on their episode. The narrative will be what ultimately entertains and dictates how you feel about them when it airs.

But I suppose all I'm stressing is one should remain aloof and not get so caught up when watching these shows, remember they're just for entertainment. And any of these shows, if they can actually help those folks who're the subject of them, then so much for the better, especially if they can entertain you in the process.

I agree with you. I know they have to make a "story" out of it and wrap it all up within an hour or so. I do think that shows like this can be helpful to others who may be too embarrassed to ask for help b/c of feeling alone.
I have heard and read that networks like TLC, Discovery, etc try to keep it true to the story. As far as the Mtv reality shows, I wouldnt put much stock in the validity of any of them. I do watch 16 and Pregnant sometimes and think it is a really good reminder to teens about what their life could be like by making poor choices.

[Thoughts]

ButterflyLion, on 21 March 2012 - 06:13 PM, said:

That's one obstacle one of therapists mentioned that worked with people on one of the shows. She mentioned that some of her clients feel very responsible and don't want to waste something useful. They want to see that it is recycled, sold, donated, given away, etc.

That gets into what a packrat is. My best friends mother, before she died, was a true packrat. It really bothered her to thow anything away, but the difference between packrats and "hoarders" is that the packrats are storing it away for future use. The house is cluttered, but not trashed. Everything has it's place and she could tell you where it was. Packrats also get angry if there is any interference in there stuff. To them, others had not been in the situations they had and have no right interfering in their business. It's a mental issue. Hoarders have let the piling situation get out of hand and cannot or will not do anything about it. They live in a trash pit and have no problem with it until somebody says something or they get embarassed by somebody about it. Unlike packrats, hoarders will let other people clean up their mess. Packrats will raise hell to the point of violence in some cases...

[Reubens]

I went to someones house that I have known for more than 30 years and was shocked at the stuff she has in her house! She had to have 2 chairs just a foot or so away from the tv because all behind was filled with stuff! As I sat there I looked in a bedroom and it was in neat piles about 3 feet high all the way to the door. I couldn't help myself when I left and looked in another bedroom and it was even worse. I asked my sister about it and she said that she always had the tendency to be that way but her husband kept it in check. After he passed away she went back to her old ways. Sad.

[A Gipper Girl]

Thoughts, on 22 March 2012 - 01:03 PM, said:

That gets into what a packrat is. My best friends mother, before she died, was a true packrat. It really bothered her to thow anything away, but the difference between packrats and "hoarders" is that the packrats are storing it away for future use. The house is cluttered, but not trashed. Everything has it's place and she could tell you where it was. Packrats also get angry if there is any interference in there stuff. To them, others had not been in the situations they had and have no right interfering in their business. It's a mental issue. Hoarders have let the piling situation get out of hand and cannot or will not do anything about it. They live in a trash pit and have no problem with it until somebody says something or they get embarassed by somebody about it. Unlike packrats, hoarders will let other people clean up their mess. Packrats will raise hell to the point of violence in some cases...

When we first bought this house last summer it looked exactly like a house you'd see on Hoarders. We bought it from family so a lot of the same people come to visit us that came here before we lived here. They are alwasy stunned at teh difference. All we've really done is SERIOUSLY clean up, throw out and I've decorated but definitely on a budget. But, oh, was it horrible before?!

She had 4 kids living with her. There were places that had NEVER been cleaned. I could tell by where furniture was. She really thought that she got "most of the stuff out" and in comparison, I guess she did. We easily filled up 2 dumpsters with what she left behind.

You could see where they spilled drinks and food and never even attempted to clean it up. We worked in this house for a week to just get rid of the trash and to bleach and sanitize the walls, floors, bathrooms, etc. She was a chain smoker, too and that was another entire layer of smut.

Had to be a mental issue with her. The back door was completely blocked by furniture that couldnt be used b/c of all the other stuff stacked around it, on it and under it. If there was a fire, they only had windows and the front door. I shouldve taken pics but once we closed the loam and got inside, it was so overwhelming that I couldnt let myself stop long enough to take a picture.

It really disturbed me. I think she needs professional help but its not my place. I do feel for the kids living in chaos. It is not good for them.

[Chelle]

I decided to watch a few episodes after reading this thread. Someone very close to me is a hoarder, but not to the degree of what I saw on the show. I was shocked to find that one of the "experts" on the show is an ex-boyfriend of mine.

[Mrs. Jack Russell]

I had a good friend who was a hoarder before I knew that term. I lived with her for a while. Back then she was a compulsive buyer. She would be at a store buying stuff and then when she got to the checkout, she couldn't stop looking and buying stuff.

Years later she asked me if I would come over and help her clean. I did. OMGosh......I could hardly walk thru her home. She asked if I could help her in the basement. OMGosh it was worse. I spend a day over there and all we did was go thur bags and she would look at the stuff and bag the stuff back up. I haven't gone back. I want to get a bull dozer and shove it all out and take it to the dump. Most of the stuff was new, unused and still had price tags on it.

Last I heard she works 2 jobs and hardly can pay her bills. She would be rich if she sold her "stuff" instead of hanging on to it. It has to be a mental issue. She dresses nice, has beautiful hair, wears nice jewerly. Outside of her home, you wouldn't suspect that she is a hoader. It's sad.


I can't go back and try to help her. I left that day so frustrated.