
"Hoarders" is an often painful look inside a disease that can bury its sufferer -- literally at times -- in its symptoms. Each hourlong episode profiles two people on the verge of a personal crisis, all caused by the fact that they are unable to part with even the tiniest possessions, and the cumulative effect becomes a mountain of junk and garbage overtaking their home or apartment. If they don't respond to professional help, the consequences sometimes involve eviction, kids being taken away, or even jail time.
A young stay at home mom and her husband fear that child protective services may take their three children away because of their hoarding; a woman has two freezers and four refrigerators full of food in various stages of decay.
A woman's compulsive shopping depletes her family's finances, fills every room in her home and leads to her divorce; a man faces eviction from subsidized housing because his apartment is filled with garbage and excrement.
A woman must get control of her hoarding and part with her stuff before she is evicted; a woman's husband is removed by Adult Protective Services as a result of her hoarding.
A widow hoarder needs help from her daughters; an unhealthy environment for a couple and their kids.