The term "hoader" is too broad. The TV show exposes a range of dysfunctional behavior lumped together under that word. That is, hoarding appears to be just one symptom of an underlying personality disorder, similar to how disorganization is symptomatic of children with ADD. Looks like many people display a variety of hoarding behaviors.
I keep reminding myself that if hoarders happen to be rich, they simply indulge their whim to buy whatever they want and buildings to store it in. Then, hire people to organize the stuff and clean up. They are esteemed as "collectors". Not long ago I visited a place in Wisconsin called "The House on the Rock." Talk about a hoader!
Further, I've considered that it might be a species surival trait that was prized in prehistoric times. Today's compulsive hoarder was yesterday's master hunter-gatherer. In modern times we have to work hard to control inherited tendencies that no longer serve the common (or private) good. Like overeating for that inevitable time of famine. My metabolism is super efficient and highly coveted by pre-historic standards.
One thing I'v noticed about the tv show interviews with hoarders. They usually try to find a reason for their behavior. "My parents were hoarders." "The animals need me." "Inanimate objects won't leave me." It's an investment." "I can't afford to buy another one if I get rid of this one." "Looking at my stuff brings comfort and pleasure." "I might need it one day." "I have a plan for it." Whether valid or not, none of these excuses come close to balancing the often dire consequences of keeping the stuff (like losing one's children).
The hoarder has great reluctance to change/adapt to meet society's expectations. Don't we all struggle with that? Since retiring from employment, I don't strive nearly so much to meet media standards as to how I should dress, what I should believe, how I should feel. Yet, if my friends threatened to abandon me if I didn't wear a bra in public, I suppose I would do so more often. Even though I would hate it.
How does "reluctance" escalate to "high anxiety". Don't know -- but there's an app for that. Ativan! When watching the show I think the results would be better if the hoarder was dosed before the process begins. The ratings however demand DRAMA.
If the show's primary goal was to help hoarders AND THEIR FAMILIES, they'd rent a storage area offsite for 30 days and move all the household contents over there for the sorting process to be accomplished with "professional organizers". Meanwhile, clean the house and incorporate more storage fixtures. Establish criteria on what can be returned to the house and keep the hoarder's motivation high with daily therapist sessions. With positive results at the end of a month, reward the hoarder with a wonderful vacation package.
I'm thinking that some hoaders put their items on shelves, in boxes and cabinets till they are full and then will start stacking. In other episodes you'll notice practically empty storage containers and disorganized heaps on the floor. That's my husband's style. Mentally, he's like an adolescent. Everything gets thrown on the floor even though a trash can or empty drawer is nearby. Important stuff gets mixed in with trash and he can't/won't force himself to focus on sorting it (attention deficit). He doesn't want anyone else to sort it because only HE knows that scribbled phone number on a napkin is a keeper. Not once has he ever thanked me for cleaning up his living space. Instead, it's deemed an invasion. He'll even go out to the trash can and haul the plastic bags back inside so he can look through them. Inevitably he'll find something like an unexpired coupon he'd planned to use and give me an accusing look of betrayal.
Hoaders have lost perspective. The tv show, if they are open to watching it, might help get it back. Does anyone know a serious hoarder who has improved as a result of the show?