In this clip from A&E's Hoarders,* Dr Suzanne Chabaud counsels a family living in a hoarding household. A teenage boy sleeps on the couch in the living room. The 11-year-old sleeps in the same bed as his mother. The family lives in chaos.
At the center is the mother, who says, "The house is swallowing me up." The fact is, hoarding disorder ripples out and envelopes the entire family, with lack of intimacy between the parents mirroring the children's isolation from the outside world. Of note is the burden the youngest child feels he must carry to hold together the family.
For more on hoarding, see The Hidden Lives of Children of Hoarders.
*Hoarders Season 2 Episode 12: Deborah & Jim. Produced by Screaming Flea Productions, Inc. For A&E Networks (R). (c) 2011 A&E Television Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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