Monday, September 26, 2011

How Does Hoarding Start, Take Hold?





by Kelsey Soby



Shows like "Hoarders" and "Hoarding: Buried Alive" have shown people trapped by their own belongings, surrounded in garbage -- but how does it start and take hold?

As the economy creates uncertainty and encourages saving and thrift, collecting can become an addiction -- possibly even a danger -- for some.

Surrounded by piles of stuff, Mike Schumm said he feels right at home.

"If people didn't save stuff, we wouldn't have a window into our past," he said.

However, his possessions fill his mother's home as well -- and she says there are even antiques hiding in her lilac bushes.

Schumm said it all boils down to his childhood. Living across the street from the a dump, he grew up collecting bottle caps and copper scraps. Those habits helped create the path he's on today, a grown-up collector and seller..."  More

No comments: