Hoarders (on A&E)

[bitterntwisted]

People who are hoarders, have problems with their brain's circuitry. The problem lies in an inability to make decisions, bouncing from idea to the next with no follow through. These people need help, not judgement.

Not to totally excuse Augustine's behaviour, but her mother must have done a serious number on her growing up. Imagine having a mother who constantly blames your existence on her troubles in life, compounded by the fact that she was illegitimate? Augustine tipped over the other side of sanity ages ago. Once you have gone to the other side, concerns about safety, social propriety and the like are not important. She is on a different reality plane.

[Spinderella]

Last night's episode had me seriously wishing I hadn't just had my dinner.

I just can't believe Judi and how she would strap herself in to her potty chair at night and then almost died from infection, adult diapers and incests biting her!

[Deleted]

Last night's show has cured me of my late night snacking. I can't believe that Judi had been using adult diapers instead of a toilet for two years! And her waste ate through the floors of her bathroom. I know she is mentally ill but I just can't understand how someone can let their hoarding get this out of control. I know her daughter lived far away from her but was there no one looking after her?

I hope those cleanup crews get paid very well.

[sparklymouse]

Judi was the first one they've shown that really looked out of it to me. Her eyes were so vacant.

[Ladybug]

Gail reminded me SO MUCH of my mother-in-law. She is a hoarder (a pretty low level one compared to the people on this show, but a hoarder nonetheless) and the majority of her stuff belonged to her parents and her own mother-in-law. When they passed, she packed up and moved all of their stuff to her house and it is piled up everywhere. Not just heirlooms, but mundane stuff like their pill containers and crocheted toilet paper covers and other things that don't really have sentimental value other than who they once belonged to. She cannot bring herself to part with any of it. Her parents passed away about 12 years ago (not suddenly, but from normal illnesses and chronic conditions that elderly people suffer from) and she still cannot talk about them without breaking down. We've tried to get her into counseling, but she won't go, claims she doesn't need it. I offered to help her go through her stuff, or to hire an organizer, but she won't hear of it. I let it go but I do hate seeing them live in such cluttered mess, and we worry about stuff falling on them, or about them tripping over things. My FIL hoards too. He has kept every book he has ever read since he was about 25 years old. And he reads A LOT, like 2-3 books per week.

Mr. Ladybug didn't want to watch this show with me because he said it would make him too upset about his parents' situation. But then he caught a couple of eps, and decided his parents weren't so bad after all. Um, maybe not, but they are getting there, honey.

[Deleted]

And her waste ate through the floors of her bathroom.

Oh, dear god. That happened at the point in the show where I was thinking, "well, the worst of this is over..." and yet, it wasn't.

I wonder why it was just the floor in the bathroom that rotted away as it seemed there were MOUNTAINS of used diapers all over the place.

Maybe I'm off base, but it kind of bugged me they went through and cleaned out that hazmat house with the intention of fixing it up to sell. One quick look around was all I needed to know the place was just not salvageable. (And that was BEFORE I found out about the Depends Mountains.) But I guess razing the place wouldn't have allowed them the dramatic footage of shoveling out 4,000 pounds of garbage or the humiliation of her having to watch them parade her filthy toilet past her wheelchair.

I really felt sorry for Judi though. She pretty much wanted nothing out of that house, unlike the miserable hoarders from last season and was the absolute epitome of someone who just gave up. And how did she get around at all before the wheelchair with holes the size of golf balls in her feet?! Christ. So depressing.

[Spinderella]

The thing that made me really concerned and sad for Judi was how she was so distant. She completely disassociated herself from the entire experience and like you said, she didn't want anything. That concerned both the doctor and her daughter.

Normally, Hoarders rationalize the need for random objects and sometimes complete garbage at some point. She was just so clueless to all that was going around her (except for a brooch that her mother gave her, which I understood.), that she NEEDS to be in a hospital. The lady has some serious mental and emotional problems.

[CAgirl]

Each week I think it can't get any worse, and it does. Seriously, can it get any grosser than dirty diapers making a hole in the ground and having your feet almost amputated?

[Deleted]

Normally, Hoarders rationalize the need for random objects and sometimes complete garbage at some point. She was just so clueless to all that was going around her (except for a brooch that her mother gave her, which I understood.), that she NEEDS to be in a hospital. The lady has some serious mental and emotional problems.

Totally agree. Left to her own devices, she'd probably just re-hoard and she does deserve medical intervention for her obvious mental illness.

I felt bad for the other woman as well. I still have my childhood teddy bear and there is no way in hell I'd part with it. That said, there aren't any goats eating my siding either, so there's that.

[Spinderella]

Dec 8, 2009 14:55:32 GMT -4 @littleediebeale said:

I felt bad for the other woman as well. I still have my childhood teddy bear and there is no way in hell I'd part with it. That said, there aren't any goats eating my siding either, so there's that.

I really felt for Gail. Her house was really her parents, who were clearly hoarders before they died. She had an obvious connection to her mother and her death truly traumatized her into never touching her things (not so much trash, but just never organizing it) and living a dirty, messy shrine to her. What's sad is that the grief has never really healed for her and she should of had some proper counseling and support from her family for her loss.

I firmly believe that after they cleaned and repaired her house (it looked so cute! Now work on that yard!), she will be keeping it nice. Having all that crap gone and not there as a constant, negative and painful reminder of her parent's deaths, will allow her to move forward and have a more productive, clutter-free life.