I have recently been watching the TV series "Hoarder Next Door" on Channel 4 and "Buried Alive" on TLC which is an American channel. I wanted to personally compare the media's representation of hoarders, and my personal experience of meeting people who suffer from this problem.
Although the people who I have met have no got a hoard as big as the people on this programme, they have spoken about their concern of becoming as bad as the people on this programme. The media always had a habit of making people seem worst than they are, by talking more about their deeper problems such as family deaths and mental issues, as a way to bring meaning to their hoarding problem.
One of my subjects, Dave, collects trading cards, and being at the age where he should be getting married and having a family, some people believe this collection is strange. However, the collection only spans the space of four boxes, he also has other items in his home which he considered to be clutter, but his hoard is tidy and controlled in boxes in his front room. He also comments on the fact their is nothing wrong with him mentally, like the programmes depict them to be, and he has a normal job, with friends and an extensive social life, but he enjoys collecting and hoarding items that interest him.
My next decision is whether to refer to this people has hoarders or collectors.
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