Shocking TV series 'Hoarders' is back. But now we know more about mental health.
Hallways lined with mountains of junk. Entire rooms covered in useless trinkets. Lives torn apart.
Yes, "Hoarders" is back for Season 15 Monday night on A&E (8 EST/PST). It's the show that gives us a glimpse into those struggling with severe hoarding disorder, a mental health condition involving the inability to get rid of items because you feel you must keep them.
But the world has changed a lot since the show first premiered in 2009 – particularly regarding conversations about mental health. Some may wonder if there's still a place for a shock-value show like "Hoarders" but those involved in the series say it has evolved since it first hit the air; and they argue there's merit to "Hoarders" both for those featured on it, and for those at home who might be struggling.
"We have increased our understanding of how to help people and what they need, and really being able to hone in on the complexities of the condition," says Robin Zasio, who has specialized in anxiety disorders for nearly three decades and is a long-time psychologist associated with "Hoarders."
Why do people hoard?
People hoard for different reasons, including family history, stress or brain function according to the Mayo Clinic
"There's just not one simple answer," Zasio says. "And that's actually what's really important and what we try to showcase through 'Hoarders' is getting at what (has) led to this problem, because if you don't address that, it's not about a cleanup. It's not about just stopping shopping. It's not about just letting go of your stuff. It's about getting why you're struggling and what has led to the problem."
Viewers may cringe at the piles of items littered in these homes. Zasio is grateful the show offers them a lifeline they otherwise may not get: "Those are the things that really pull on me of like, seeing the tragedy of the way somebody's living, and then doing everything that we can to try to get them to a place where they can get themselves out of it," she says.
Still, it's easy to watch and get sucked into gawking and passing judgment on someone before they receive treatment.
What 'Hoarders' aims to do
So what happens to these people on the show? Experts help them clean up their lives, literally and figuratively. Professional organizers and psychologists tackle all parts of a person's disorder, from the removal of junk to digging into potential traumas that led to the mess.
"We go in and we do a triage, these folks are at the end of their rope, they've tried everything, they've procrastinated as long as they possibly could, they've been through multiple fines, and their kids are in trouble," says professional organizer Dorothy Breininger, who has been with the show since before the pilot. "Whatever the situation is, they have nowhere else to turn and no money to make it happen."
She's seen it all being a part of the series for so long – but "the part I really don't like is when a child or an animal but particularly a child is put in a hoarding situation where they don't have a bed to sleep in," she says. "They don't have a place to do their homework. They are afraid to invite people into the home."
For Breininger, there's nothing like helping someone in dire need. "When it's a particularly good outcome, it is the most satisfying thing in the world," she says.
Hoarding and 'shock value'
Treatments for hoarding disorder, naturally, will vary depending on severity.
"It could simply be, they need medication, and they're not on medication," Zasio says. "But it can also be that there are very significant psychological factors that are contributing to the problem." The goal is to work with them for a short amount of time and set them up with care after they leave so the person can continue with the process.
Many have critiqued shows like "Hoarders." Are they exploiting people in favor of content? Zasio says all who sign onto the show have undergone vetting and know what they're in for; exploitation has never been the goal. Watching someone else go through this could help a viewer at home going through a similar struggle.
"I don't disagree that there is a shock value," she adds. "Sometimes I walk in – the more I do this, there's probably less shock value, but there is still shock value – because you see the devastation of how people are living and what it's done to their life. And that's just a human condition to have compassion for somebody over their circumstances."
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'These are human beings'
Zasio encourages those watching at home to push past preconceived notions about hoarders. For example, many viewers may assume that hoarders are unclean or that they just don't care.
"We need to understand that these are human beings, we need to understand that they are coming from life circumstances that have severely or significantly or both impacted them that have led to some behaviors that are not functional," she says.
Breininger adds: "Everyone that I've met who hoards is a spectacular human with an outrageously amazing life story."