
"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 series of tragedies triggers hoarding that causes a woman to lose custody of her son to her ex-husband; Child Protective Services arrives with police at a couple's squalid home to remove their four children.

A 49-year-old woman fears her hoarding will lead to authorities taking away her two children again; a well-educated man manages a successful honey business, but the inside of his home is a nightmare.

Kevin faces eviction if he does not clean up his apartment; Mary cleans her home to salvage her family's relationship.

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