
"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 home has more than 30 cats in the walls and ceilings; a husband visits his hoarder wife rarely.

A woman hoards in a friend's home; a man's home was destroyed by arson and remains an eyesore.

Jason tries one last time to rescue his mother from the filth he escaped 14 years earlier when he was removed from her home by Child Protective Services.

Time is running out for Judi, whose cluttered home has been condemned; Gail was once a disciplined ballerina, but now her house is full of possessions and critters.