In 2009, A&E Television Networks began broadcasting a reality-based program, Hoarders. Each week the show examines the case of an individual who suffers from a symptom of obsessive compulsive disorder or obsessive compulsive personality disorder that causes him or her to experience extreme distress at the prospect of discarding specific items, or in some cases, anything at all.
According the show’s website: Hoarders not only captures the drama as experts work to help each person get on the road to recovery, but also highlights the individual’s inner challenges and triumphs. Although cleaning marks the first step of tackling this disorder, success is not definite. For some individuals, throwing away even the tiniest object is so traumatizing that they are not able to allow the cleaning process to continue, no matter how it may impact their lives.
