Hoarders (TV series)

Last updated
Hoarders
Hoarders titlecard.jpg
Genre
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons15
No. of episodes164 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Courtney LeMarco
  • Erik Bernard
  • Dave Severson
  • Andrew Berg
  • David McKillop
  • Elaine Frontain Bryant
  • George Butts
  • Jessica Morgan
  • Matt Chan
  • Mike Kelly
Camera setup Multiple
Running time42–85 minutes
Production companyTLG Motion Pictures
Original release
Network
ReleaseAugust 17, 2009 (2009-08-17) 
present

Hoarders is an American documentary reality television series that debuted on A&E on August 17, 2009. The show depicts the real-life struggles and treatment of people who suffer from compulsive hoarding disorder. [1]

Contents

The series concluded its original run on February 4, 2013, after six seasons. [2] Over a year after the program's original cancellation in 2013, Lifetime began airing a series of weekly "Update" episodes on June 2, 2014. [3] Each "Update" episode presented an episode from earlier seasons, ending with a present-day visit to a featured hoarder by the therapist or organizer who worked with them. Interviews with the hoarder and their family reveal how their lives have progressed since their first appearance on the show. This led to the production of a seventh season, Hoarders: Family Secrets, which aired on Lifetime from May 28, 2015, to July 30, 2015. [4]

The program returned to A&E for subsequent seasons beginning with season eight on January 3, 2016. [5] "Update" episodes continue to run between seasons under the titles Hoarders: Where Are They Now?, Hoarders: Then & Now or Hoarders: Overload. The eleventh season premiered on July 20, 2020. [6] A twelfth season premiered on March 22, 2021. [7]

Overview

Concept

Each 60-minute episode profiles one or two interventions. During most of the first season, the hoarder worked with either a psychiatrist/psychologist, a professional organizer, or an "extreme cleaning specialist," each of whom specialized in some aspect involving the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorders, anxiety disorders, and/or hoarding. A crew of professional cleaners (usually a local franchise of the series' major corporate sponsor) performed the actual cleanups. Two episodes in the first season featured a cleanup with both a psychologist and an organizer: Jill (episode "Jennifer and Ron/Jill") and Patty (episode "Patty/Bill"). From season 2 onward, all hoarders were given a psychologist and an organizer. The final episode of the first season, "Paul/Missy and Alex", featured professional organizer Geralin Thomas, CPO-CD, working with Missy, while a child psychologist, Dr. David Dia, worked with Missy's seven-year-old son Alex. Beginning in the second season, each hoarder had a psychologist-plus-organizer/cleaning specialist team assisting them. This specialist combination leads a group of cleaning professionals, family, friends, and relatives of the hoarder in conducting a two- to three-day decluttering session. In most instances, a crisis prompted the intervention, such as a threat of eviction or the removal of minor children from the home.[ citation needed ]

At the end of each episode, on-screen text indicates the short-term outcome of the cleanup effort, including the subjects' decisions on whether to seek further assistance from organizers and/or therapists. The show provides six months of aftercare funds to pay these professionals and, occasionally, to carry out vital repairs to the home. [8]

Beginning with the season nine finale, episodes were expanded to two hours and focused on a single hoarder. [9]

Each of the "Update" episodes revisits hoarders from previous episodes, showing clips from their original appearances followed by newer footage detailing the progress they have made.[ citation needed ]

Hoarding disorder

With the release of the DSM-5 in 2013, hoarding was classified as a separate disorder. During the show's original run, hoarding behaviors were considered symptoms of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Hoarding does show links to obsessive and compulsive behaviors; however, it also shows connections to major depressive disorder as well as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). [10]

The role of documentary shows like Hoarders in this change of classification is unclear. However, some believe the rise in awareness caused by such shows was a significant contributing factor. [11] When hoarding became a buzzword, it "commanded a significant amount of professional…attention". [11]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 7August 17, 2009 (2009-08-17)September 28, 2009 (2009-09-28)
2 15November 30, 2009 (2009-11-30)May 31, 2010 (2010-05-31)
3 20September 6, 2010 (2010-09-06)January 10, 2011 (2011-01-10)
4 17June 20, 2011 (2011-06-20)November 28, 2011 (2011-11-28)
5 11January 2, 2012 (2012-01-02)March 12, 2012 (2012-03-12)
6 14September 10, 2012 (2012-09-10)June 2, 2014 (2014-06-02)
7 10May 28, 2015 (2015-05-28)July 30, 2015 (2015-07-30)
8 16January 3, 2016 (2016-01-03)April 3, 2016 (2016-04-03)
9 7December 18, 2016 (2016-12-18)January 22, 2017 (2017-01-22)
10 5March 5, 2019 (2019-03-05)April 2, 2019 (2019-04-02)
11 8July 20, 2020 (2020-07-20)September 14, 2020 (2020-09-14)
12 8March 22, 2021 (2021-03-22)May 17, 2021 (2021-05-17)
13 8October 18, 2021 (2021-10-18)December 6, 2021 (2021-12-06)
14 6May 29, 2023 (2023-05-29)July 3, 2023 (2023-07-03)
15 12January 8, 2024 (2024-01-08)March 18, 2024 (2024-03-18)

Contributors

A number of board-licensed therapists, psychologists, and professional organizers have contributed to the show as on-air personalities. Recurring cast members are as follows:

Therapists

ProfessionalCredential(s)Associated institution(s)
Dr. Suzanne Chabaud [12] Ph.D. OCD Institute of Greater New Orleans
Dr. Melva Green [12] M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H.
Dr. Scott Hannan [12] Ph.D. The Institute of Living
Dr. Mark Pfeffer [12] M.S., L.M.F.T. Panic/Anxiety Recovery Center of Chicago
Dr. Renae Reinardy [13] Psy.D. Lakeside Center for Behavioral Change (Fargo, North Dakota)
Dr. David F. Tolin [12] Ph.D., A.B.P.P. The Institute of Living
Dr. Michael Tompkins [12] Ph.D.San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy
Dr. Robin Zasio [12] Psy.D. L.C.S.W. The Anxiety Treatment Center (Sacramento, California)

Organizers

ProfessionalTitle
Dorothy Breininger [12] Certified Professional Organizer
Cory Chalmers [12] Extreme Cleaning Specialist
Matt Paxton [12] Extreme Cleaning Specialist
Dr. Darnita L. Payden [12] Life Management Specialist
Standolyn Robertson [12] Certified Professional Organizer
Erica DiMiele [12] Extreme Cleaning Specialist
Geralin Thomas [14] Certified Professional Organizer

Reception

At the time of its premiere, Hoarders was the most-watched series premiere in A&E network history among adults aged 18–49 and tied for the most ever in the adults aged 25–54 demographic. [15] The premiere was watched by 2.5 million viewers: 1.8 million adults aged 18–49. [15]

In 2011, Hoarders won a Critics' Choice Award, in a tie with The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills , for best reality series. [16] [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obsessive–compulsive personality disorder</span> Personality disorder involving orderliness

Obsessive–compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is a cluster C personality disorder marked by a spectrum of obsessions with rules, lists, schedules, and order, among other things. Symptoms are usually present by the time a person reaches adulthood, and are visible in a variety of situations. The cause of OCPD is thought to involve a combination of genetic and environmental factors, namely problems with attachment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoarding disorder</span> Behavioral pattern

Hoarding disorder (HD) or Plyushkin's disorder, is a mental disorder characterised by persistent difficulty in parting with possessions and engaging in excessive acquisition of items that are not needed or for which no space is available. This results in severely cluttered living spaces, distress, and impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. Excessive acquisition is characterized by repetitive urges or behaviours related to amassing or buying property. Difficulty discarding possessions is characterized by a perceived need to save items and distress associated with discarding them. Accumulation of possessions results in living spaces becoming cluttered to the point that their use or safety is compromised. It is recognised by the eleventh revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoarding</span> Intentional accumulation of items for later use

Hoarding is the act of engaging in excessive acquisition of items that are not needed or for which no space is available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal hoarding</span> Keeping more domestic pets than can be cared for

Animal hoarding, sometimes called Noah syndrome, is keeping a higher-than-usual number of animals as domestic pets without the ability to properly house or care for them, while at the same time denying this inability. Compulsive hoarding can be characterized as a symptom of a mental disorder rather than deliberate cruelty towards animals. Hoarders are deeply attached to their pets and find it extremely difficult to let the pets go. They typically cannot comprehend that they are harming their pets by failing to provide them with proper care. Hoarders tend to believe that they provide the right amount of care for them. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals provides a "Hoarding Prevention Team", which works with hoarders to help them attain a manageable and healthy number of pets.

Hoarding is the gathering and storing of goods.

The Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) is a test to rate the severity of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms.

Sexual obsessions are persistent and unrelenting thoughts about sexual activity. In the context of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), these are extremely common, and can become extremely debilitating, making the person ashamed of the symptoms and reluctant to seek help. A preoccupation with sexual matters, however, does not only occur as a symptom of OCD, they may be enjoyable in other contexts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compulsive behavior</span> Habit and impulse disorder

Compulsive behavior is defined as performing an action persistently and repetitively. Compulsive behaviors could be an attempt to make obsessions go away. Compulsive behaviors are a need to reduce apprehension caused by internal feelings a person wants to abstain from or control. A major cause of compulsive behavior is said to be obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). "The main idea of compulsive behavior is that the likely excessive activity is not connected to the purpose to which it appears directed." There are many different types of compulsive behaviors including shopping, hoarding, eating, gambling, trichotillomania and picking skin, itching, checking, counting, washing, sex, and more. Also, there are cultural examples of compulsive behavior.

Exposure therapy is a technique in behavior therapy to treat anxiety disorders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obsessive–compulsive disorder</span> Mental and behavioral disorder

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental and behavioral disorder in which an individual has intrusive thoughts and feels the need to perform certain routines (compulsions) repeatedly to relieve the distress caused by the obsession, to the extent where it impairs general function.

Hoarding: Buried Alive is an American documentary television series that premiered on TLC on March 14, 2010. The show follows hoarders through their life experiences and helps them learn to manage their illness.

Just Checking by Emily Colas is an account of her experience with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Divided into four sections, Colas provides snapshots of her life in a journal like manner. The text conveys her emotions regarding the disease throughout her entire life including her childhood and her role as a mother herself.

<i>Anger Management</i> (TV series) American television sitcom

Anger Management is an American television multi-camera sitcom created by Bruce Helford that premiered on FX on June 28, 2012. The series is loosely based on the 2003 film of the same title and stars Charlie Sheen in a variation of the Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson film. The series received 5.74 million viewers in its debut, breaking the record as the most-watched sitcom premiere in US cable television history. On November 7, 2014, FX announced that the series would end after its 100th episode, which aired on December 22, 2014. It received largely negative reviews from critics.

David F. Tolin is an American clinical psychologist.

The University of Florida Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder Program is a treatment and research clinic in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Florida. The clinic is located in Gainesville, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geralin Thomas</span> American organizing consultant

Geralin Thomas is an American organizing consultant. She is best known for her appearances on the television show Hoarders. She is the proprietor of the company Metropolitan Organizing, based in Cary, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Abramowitz</span> American clinical psychologist

Jonathan Stuart Abramowitz is an American clinical psychologist and Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH). He is an expert on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety disorders whose work is highly cited. He maintains a research lab and currently serves as the Director of the UNC-CH Clinical Psychology PhD Program. Abramowitz approaches the understanding and treatment of psychological problems from a cognitive-behavioral perspective.

The Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS) is a 20-item self-report instrument that assesses the severity of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) symptoms along four empirically supported theme-based dimensions: (a) contamination, (b) responsibility for harm and mistakes, (c) incompleteness/symmetry, and (d) unacceptable (taboo) thoughts. The scale was developed in 2010 by a team of experts on OCD led by Jonathan Abramowitz, PhD to improve upon existing OCD measures and advance the assessment and understanding of OCD. The DOCS contains four subscales that have been shown to have good reliability, validity, diagnostic sensitivity, and sensitivity to treatment effects in a variety of settings cross-culturally and in different languages. As such, the DOCS meets the needs of clinicians and researchers who wish to measure current OCD symptoms or assess changes in symptoms over time.

References

  1. "A&E Premieres New Original Nonfiction Series "Hoarders"". The Futon Critic. August 11, 2009.
  2. Kondolojy, Amanda (September 25, 2013). "'Hoarders' Canceled by A&E after Six Seasons". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013.
  3. "Hoarders Update on Lifetime Could Revive Show". May 31, 2014.
  4. "New Episodes of Hoarders in Production". Mar 15, 2015.
  5. Andy Dehnart (2016-01-04). "Hoarders quietly moves back to A&E". reality blurred. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  6. Cohn, Paulette (2020-07-20). "Real People, Real Disorders! Everything We Know About Hoarders Season 11". Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  7. Leiber, Sarah Jae. "A&E's INTERVENTION Returns For A New Season In Las Vegas". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  8. "Aftercare — Home cleaning". A&E Community. Retrieved 27 February 2012. This is Cory Chalmers from Hoarders and as part of my business, we offer regularly scheduled cleaning for every hoarding case we help with.
  9. Goronja, Ariel (2020-07-20). "Hoarders Season 11 Premiere Schedule: What Time & Date Does it Air?". Heavy.com. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  10. Hall, Brian; Tolin, David; Frost, Randy; Steketee, Gail (2013). "An exploration of comorbid symptoms and clinical correlates of clinically significant hoarding symptoms". Depression and Anxiety. 30 (1): 67–76. doi:10.1002/da.22015. PMC   4887088 . PMID   23213052.
  11. 1 2 Marchland, Shoshana; Phillips McEnany, Geoffry (September 2012). "Hoarding's place in the DSM-5: Another symptom, or a newly listed disorder?". Issues in Mental Health Nursing. 33: 593–597.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Emmy-nominated "Hoarders" Premieres an All-new Season". TV Weekly Now. May 25, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  13. Gerdes, Vicky (November 19, 2010). "Hoarders just can't let go of their stuff". Detroit Lakes Online. Great Lakes, Minnesota. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  14. Juzwiak, Rich (June 19, 2011). "Geralin Thomas on Helping Through Hoarders". TV Guide . Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  15. 1 2 Seidman, Robert (August 18, 2009). "Hoarders has best premiere ever for A&E with adults 18–49". TV by the Numbers (Press release). Archived from the original on October 7, 2013.
  16. Mets, Lauren (21 June 2011). "RHOBH Grabs Critics' Choice Award; Lisa Vanderpump 'Bloody Can't Believe It'". Bravo. The Daily Dish. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  17. "'Mad Men' & 'Modern Family' Among Winners At First Critics' Choice TV Awards". Deadline. 20 June 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2016.