Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Jun 5, 2014 23:56:30 GMT -5
Watch an episode of "Hoarders". I'm not kidding. We just finished watching an episode. I looked around the living room and felt this mad compulsion to scrub every surface until my hands bled. I was about to ask Mrs. Virgil for help but I found her in the office hunting for dust bunnies. Sweet rotting buckets of meat is that show disgusting! The season consists of seven episodes, and I'm keeping the remaining six for some day I need to clean something and need extra motivation. Disclaimer: Do not watch while eating. ...or if you wish to eat at any point during the subsequent 24 hours. Doubles as an effective dieting aid.
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Jaguar
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Post by Jaguar on Jun 6, 2014 0:02:38 GMT -5
So you finally had some fun.
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Jun 6, 2014 0:25:45 GMT -5
So you finally had some fun.
Fun nothing. The one lady had 41 live cats and the remains of 65 dead ones removed from her property. Nearly all of the live cats were scheduled to be euthanized due to respiratory illness. They found cat and kitten skeletons buried in trash and piles of feces in the attic. The police didn't prosecute her for animal cruelty because she seems to be quite literally insane. She loves the cats. She just doesn't get the fact that she's not capable of caring for them. So yeah--loads of fun. I'm sure if you're a cat lover, it'd be even more loads of fun.
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Jaguar
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Post by Jaguar on Jun 6, 2014 0:29:49 GMT -5
Gee how is it you watch this show, when they have a bat shit crazy multi cat owner on? It's like you got anti-cat radar or something.
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Jun 6, 2014 0:40:26 GMT -5
Gee how is it you watch this show, when they have a bat shit crazy multi cat owner on? It's like you got anti-cat radar or something.
It's not the cats' fault she's out of her mind. The other person they were helping was a 21-year-old man whose home was indescribably filthy. He owned a dog and part of his psychosis was that he refused to throw away any of the hair it shed. I'm going to have nightmares about that footage.
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Jaguar
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Post by Jaguar on Jun 6, 2014 0:43:21 GMT -5
Virgil if your going to have nightmares make em big, like me becoming your Admin buddy on here or something. It's got to be mind blowing yanno, go big or else go home.
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toomuchreality
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Post by toomuchreality on Jun 6, 2014 1:37:15 GMT -5
I used to have a neighbor who got turned on sexually, by filth. I wish I would have known that BEFORE I asked him to help with my disposal! He talked a girl into having sex with him in a dumpster once, he told me. GROSS! Whenever I feel like a hoarder, I watch that show. So far, so good! -tee hee...
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steff
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Post by steff on Jun 6, 2014 2:06:13 GMT -5
The more often you clean, the less time it takes you to clean.
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MarleyKeezy78
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Post by MarleyKeezy78 on Jun 6, 2014 4:46:44 GMT -5
I saw that episode Virg!!! I was practically yelling at the tv for that kid to clean up the damn dog hair Ick!
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NancysSummerSip
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Post by NancysSummerSip on Jun 6, 2014 8:53:15 GMT -5
I was part of a team of folks who cleaned the home of not one, but two hoarders.
To be fair, both were disabled (him on crutches, her in a wheelchair). But the place had not been cleaned in at least a decade. The husband was a former coworker of mine, so a group from work went over to help him out.
OMG, "help" was a mere four-letter word in this case. The place was small (maybe a 1,000 square foot cottage, one floor), and it was unlivable. How the wife ever got around in the wheelchair, I do not know. Everything, from the floors to the fridge, had to be steam-blasted in order to get them clean. I could not identify a single food item in the fridge; everything was that far gone.
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Jun 6, 2014 9:01:04 GMT -5
I made the mistake of watching one episode of Hoarders to see what all the hoopla was about. Never ever again. By the time they got thru the stuff and to the actual floors the floor had turned to "dust" in some places. It's hard to comprehend how this happens but understand that it is a mental problem.
I just wonder if they ever go back after a year or so to check out how these people are. Wonder if they slip right back into the same mess over time?
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NancysSummerSip
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Post by NancysSummerSip on Jun 6, 2014 9:10:24 GMT -5
I made the mistake of watching one episode of Hoarders to see what all the hoopla was about. Never ever again. By the time they got thru the stuff and to the actual floors the floor had turned to "dust" in some places. It's hard to comprehend how this happens but understand that it is a mental problem. I just wonder if they ever go back after a year or so to check out how these people are. Wonder if they slip right back into the same mess over time? I know there is an episode at the end of the season where they do revisit a few of the clients, to see how they are doing. I'm surprised at the number who do actually make progress in keeping their places clean. It in indeed a sickness that I cannot imagine is resolved simply by clearing out the place. I know they also work with a psychologist during the clean-out phase, but how many of the hoarders continue with the counseling post-segment?
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wyouser
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Post by wyouser on Jun 6, 2014 10:48:48 GMT -5
Just be very thankful your tv cannot transmit oder with the program. I've been in one of those houses overrun with cats and overflowing with litter. The stench is overwhelming.
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ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ
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Post by ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ on Jun 6, 2014 10:52:24 GMT -5
I've always had the same credo as steff - if I keep one step ahead on the cleaning, it makes the task that much easer to keep up.
After viewing only a couple of episodes of that show, it was enough to influence me to stick with my cleaning routine and never let things lapse.
The sadness of that show is that most (if not all) those hoarders have some kind of psychological disorder which causes them to amass such an overly excessive amount of "stuff" - usually junk - or large amounts of food that are left to rot. It's truly sad they aren't getting the professional medical help they so obviously need.
ETA: Or as Nancy pointed out, they either don't accept, or don't continue with any treatment which might be provided, and then lapse right back into their old habits.
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NancysSummerSip
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Post by NancysSummerSip on Jun 6, 2014 11:06:29 GMT -5
What I don't get, when I watch the show, is with the hoarders who have family living with them...how do the non-hoarders stand it? They look into the camera and complain about how one person keeps too much, no one can move around the house, it's filthy, etc. But they are still there? I wonder about the psychology behind the non-hoarders in the house. Are they scared of throwing stuff away, thinking the hoarder will go off the deep end? Are they enabling the hoarder by staying there and being passive about the situation? Or by allowing the hoarder's habits to dictate things, are they holding on to the last semblance of a family unit, even though the crisis among them is pretty obvious?
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Jun 6, 2014 11:13:51 GMT -5
I've always had the same credo as steff - if I keep one step ahead on the cleaning, it makes the task that much easer to keep up.
After viewing only a couple of episodes of that show, it was enough to influence me to stick with my cleaning routine and never let things lapse.
The sadness of that show is that most (if not all) those hoarders have some kind of psychological disorder which causes them to amass such an overly excessive amount of "stuff" - usually junk - or large amounts of food that are left to rot. It's truly sad they aren't getting the professional medical help they so obviously need.
ETA: Or as Nancy pointed out, they either don't accept, or don't continue with any treatment which might be provided, and then lapse right back into their old habits. Absolutely. I don't know how you can watch the show without conceding there's a profound mental illness. It seems to have some of the traits of an addiction, but also compulsion, delusion, insanity, depression, etc. Mankind is adaptable and I suppose we can get used to living in filth and squalor just as easily as we can get used to anything else, but wow...
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Spellbound454
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Post by Spellbound454 on Jun 6, 2014 13:33:25 GMT -5
I think its a mental illness at either end of the spectrum.
Hoarders won't throw things away because they see things as valuable.... and they it come in handy some day. They don't like parting with their stuff
People with OCD can't stand anything out of place.
Most of us thankfully are somewhere in the middle.
I watch one of those programmes and immediately get out the crevice tool on the vacuum....then hoover up anything that isn't nailed down.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jun 6, 2014 14:21:32 GMT -5
Hoarding is a form of OCD according to the show. OCD doesn't automatically manifest itself in a need to be clean and orderly.
OCD is basically you have an obsessive thought, to get rid of that thought you feel compelled to do something. It can be anything from washing your hands constantly, to pulling your hair out, to turning a light switch on/off X number of times and even hoarding.
I've seen the one with the guy who wouldn't clean up the dog hair. The thought was if he got rid of it the dog would die, so he felt compelled to keep every piece of hair the dog shed.
That's OCD.
The idea that OCD people are all neat/orderly is a stereotype that people often perpetuate by joking they're "OCD" whenever you comment they have a tidy home. In reality OCD is much more complex than that.
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mollyanna58
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Post by mollyanna58 on Jun 6, 2014 14:25:25 GMT -5
What I don't get, when I watch the show, is with the hoarders who have family living with them...how do the non-hoarders stand it? They look into the camera and complain about how one person keeps too much, no one can move around the house, it's filthy, etc. But they are still there? I wonder about the psychology behind the non-hoarders in the house. Frequently it's children, and the reason for the cleanup is that social services is going to remove the children from the household. Sometimes it's a young adult, trying to keep Mom or Dad going. Sometimes the young adult children have fled the situation. Even when a spouse or child tries to keep their own space liveable, the hoarder just gradually takes over. The ones with other people living with them usually have working toilets, at least. The people who live alone, not so much.
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Artemis Windsong
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Post by Artemis Windsong on Jun 8, 2014 20:37:19 GMT -5
I have stories, too.
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Works4me
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Post by Works4me on Jun 9, 2014 1:22:24 GMT -5
Note to self - send all pet hair to Virgil!
Since Tara is a German Shedder, amounts will be massive!
Expensive but pricelessly worth it.
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❤ mollymouser ❤
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Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on Jun 9, 2014 1:39:19 GMT -5
I watched part of an episode, once ... I didn't find it entertaining, so I turned it off. Just reading about this makes me want to go declutter and clean ... and I'm neat!
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Jun 9, 2014 2:55:24 GMT -5
I watched part of an episode, once ... I didn't find it entertaining, so I turned it off. Just reading about this makes me want to go declutter and clean ... and I'm neat! There is a small bit of satisfaction in seeing the improvement in the living conditions by the end of the show. Aside from that, I'd have to agree. There's not much redeeming value.
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Iggy aka IG
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Post by Iggy aka IG on Jun 9, 2014 13:28:21 GMT -5
Hoarders is indeed a motivator.
I find watching HGTV and DIY in general motivates me, too, because of all the gorgeous homes.
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ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ
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Post by ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ on Jun 9, 2014 13:38:34 GMT -5
But any improvement usually isn't done by the hoarder(s). In most cases, a team comes in to get the ball rolling - and it's usually a struggle for that team - getting the hoarder to part with much of their junk - which they consider their treasure - and they usually do so begrudgingly - they're very unwilling to accept that the broken picture frame or stacks on stacks of old newspapers & magazines and rotting food are trash.
There's also usually piles of dirty dishes crammed into sinks (and even bath-tubs), and floors littered with paper plates and plastic utensils, since the regular dishes are covered in layers of mold and crawling with bugs.
Once taping of their homes getting a thorough cleaning and de-cluttering, you have to wonder if they don't just revert back to their old habits once they're no longer on camera.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jun 9, 2014 13:45:16 GMT -5
Once taping of their homes getting a thorough cleaning and de-cluttering, you have to wonder if they don't just revert back to their old habits once they're no longer on camera
Most of them do. They did updates on the people from the first season and all but one had gone back to doing exactly what they did before. A couple of them were worse. The guy that had all the crap in his yard he refused to get rid of got kicked off his property by the city.
The one that changed, which surprised me, was the guy with the dog hair issue. He was working with 3-4 different therapists for his various issues and was on medication. He said he was tired of living that way and the show gave him hope, he was determined not to let it happen again.
People who want help and want to change will, those that do not will not.
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Green Eyed Lady
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Post by Green Eyed Lady on Jun 9, 2014 13:48:41 GMT -5
I need to be on one of those cleaning teams. I'm extremely OCD about cleanliness. That show makes my hands itch to dig in and get started. It doesn't necessarily gross me out - except for the bathrooms - but it makes me want to take over and git 'er done. Dog hair doesn't bother me. My German Shepherd drops enough to stuff a mattress.
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Iggy aka IG
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Post by Iggy aka IG on Jun 9, 2014 13:54:29 GMT -5
Dr. Phil recently had a woman whose family thought she was a hoarder. And, yes, based on the film shots from inside her home, most would agree. The producers brought a bag full of random items from her home, which Dr. Phil (he wore surgical gloves) and the woman went through while taping. It was interesting the justification she had for each and every item. Rags she was going to make into pillows, old foil balls can be used as a scrubber, etc. He suggested, and she agreed, she might have psychological and emotional issues, among other things, based on prior life triggers.
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Jun 9, 2014 16:37:38 GMT -5
Once taping of their homes getting a thorough cleaning and de-cluttering, you have to wonder if they don't just revert back to their old habits once they're no longer on cameraMost of them do. They did updates on the people from the first season and all but one had gone back to doing exactly what they did before. A couple of them were worse. The guy that had all the crap in his yard he refused to get rid of got kicked off his property by the city. The one that changed, which surprised me, was the guy with the dog hair issue. He was working with 3-4 different therapists for his various issues and was on medication. He said he was tired of living that way and the show gave him hope, he was determined not to let it happen again. People who want help and want to change will, those that do not will not. That's depressing. I was really holding out hope for one heavyset fellow who lived in (what was basically) a huge pile of trash in a low-income apartment. He got along well with the organizer, they got his apartment spotless, and he really seemed as though he had the motivation and will to change.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jun 9, 2014 17:52:17 GMT -5
I know they also work with a psychologist during the clean-out phase, but how many of the hoarders continue with the counseling post-segment?
I don't know about TLC but on A&E several of the people on the follow-up episodes mentioned that the station pays for 6 months to a year of therapy for them if they want it.
Which probably isn't near enough to fix some of these people's issues, but it's not like the station leaves them totally out to dry.
The dog guy from the first season took full advantage of it then continued on his own. A lot of them either refuse or only take a couple weeks then quit because they don't like what they hear. Mental illness is a hard thing to combat Virgil, hoarding is usually a manifestation of MANY different mental issues, all of which need to be addressed. Some don't want to and some can't afford the kind of care they need to get better.
I remember the hoard from Omaha. That woman was a real bitch, I cannot fathom why her husband put up with her crap.
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