Suffocated by Stuff: Hoarders

On the A&E TV show Hoarders, individuals work with experts who guide them through cleanup of their hugely cluttered homes, and therapists help them better understand their conditions.

While some subjects see major improvements post-show, such as Ceci Garrett’s mother, Judi, who became infamous for the mounds of soiled diapers in her home during season two, other hoarders see the show as exploitative and damaging.

Both Ceci Garrett and the expert who worked with her mother on the show, Matt Paxton (who owns Clutter Cleaner and wrote The Secret Lives of Hoarders), manned a booth at the recent International OCD Foundation Conference in San Diego, fielding questions and listening to outbursts from attendees.

Garrett, who had a strained relationship with her mother before the show, said viewers have lashed out at her because they blame her for her mother's state. Like many children of hoarders, she said she was frustrated by the situation and had given her mother an ultimatum: Clean up or you can't see your grandchildren.

Such ultimatums are not unusual, but typically aren’t helpful. When seniors hoard, the impact often stretches to their children, who feel frustrated, disgusted, embarrassed and confused about how things got so bad, said UC San Diego professor Dr. Catherine Ayers. When demands don’t kick the cleaning and de-cluttering into high gear, often grown children feel their parents are choosing the “stuff” over them.

Garrett, whose mother moved to an assisted-living facility after her home was condemned, said they get along better, though they aren’t best friends. A&E recently aired an update show showing a smiling Judi with her grandchildren at her new home.

Garrett said it’s important for adult children to realize they can’t change their parents, but they can learn to work with each other to heal.

Rancho Bernardo Patch editor Shauntel Lowe recently looked at the issue of hoarding in popular culture, how it affects loved ones and how one local expert is trying to help. Next up, the expert, Ayers, discusses her efforts on behalf of hoarders and a study she is overseeing.