Hoarding Hits the Small Screen

Hoarding provides the dramatic images that TV shows crave: the boxes piled high, the rooms with only a tiny path through the maze of stuff, the medical papers stored in the dryer "so I'll know where they're at."

But I was pleased to note that two recent shows about hoarding provided both compassion and information. Hoarding was given a sympathetic human face, and hoarders were shown working with therapists and professional organizers.

On Fox News - Chicago you can see the story of Katie: the original story and a later follow-up.

And The Learning Channel had a show called Help! I'm a Hoarder, which you can see on the Helping Hoarders web site.

However, as fellow organizer Ariane Benefit points out, TLC missed an opportunity to point hoarders and those who care about them to the many resources available - which she goes on to list.