Yes, I'm aware it truly is a mental illness (I'm the OP) but damn, it's frustrating as hell to deal with it. I know depression actually has a big role in why MIL hoards---she wants to get rid of stuff but never has the energy to go through stuff and get rid of it. I've had to help her cull out her craft crap and all the other stuff she won't let go of by doing most of the work for her and just letting her decide to donate/toss or not. What sucks is that DH also has some hoarding tendencies and it's all I can do to not just throw all his crap out when he's out of the house. He attaches tons of memories to junky old stuff and I get it, but I also hate having so much clutter.

Husband- *Spends all of the money* Also my husband- *completely surprised and pissed off when we have no money* Like, wtf did you expect to happen? The money isn't there just because you've mentally told yourself it is. You need help. Thank goodness I've been saving every penny I can sneak past you.

Wow, that is like saying people who are depressed should just snap out of it. Hoarding is often an unusual attachment to everyday objects, so 'just get rid of that thing' is like saying 'just say goodbye forever to your dog'. It is heartbreaking for them to get rid of something that hasn't fulfilled it's purpose. If you want to understand the disease better, I recommend the book 'Stuff'. It isn't terribly technical, but gives some insight to what professionals where discovering not too many years ago. There is very little research around hoarding, compared to other mental disorders like OCD or addiction, but it is also far more complex.

It's hard to see mental illnesses like hoarding or any sort of addictive behavior as something that isn't their fault. The whole problem is apparently caused by decisions that they made, after all. It's almost impossible to see it any other way when you feel personally victimized. I know from experience. I have a really hard time having any patience at all with drug addicts/alcoholics/hoarders because I've personally experienced the frustration of these people refusing to change, even when it's hurting the people they love. Even when it was hurting ME, from childhood through to current. I've washed my hands of several family members. I'm not saying they don't need help or that it's not an illness. It is. I just can't help them and it's not worth my mental well-being to try. I'm over it. Find help elsewhere.

My cousin is a hoarder and I believe that it is a mental illness. I read that it was added to the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders under OCD. My cousin's house was so bad I actually called in the company used in the Hoarders tv show, and her house just went back to how it was, because she needed help but wouldn't accept it. I tried for years but finally gave up. We are no longer in contact.

I've been biking daily since the end of May. I feel happier, more confident because of how strong I've gotten, and a long ride feels meditative and quite the major destressor. I feel less thrilled about going back to regular talk therapy for more mental processing. Maybe I just need to take more action on sh*t that I know will make my body feel really good.

If any of you judgmental librarians say 'Erb or Cross-awnt, I'm coming for your heads!

Thanks for the call-out, especially since you don't know exactly what my husband does. He does work for every major company you can think of as well as aerospace, medical research labs, every governmental department (FBI, SEC, TSA, Homeland Security, etc.) as well as embassies and military bases. Top Secret stuff in some cases, where they are not allowed to bring in even their company-issued phones. This is to prevent them from, say, taking photos or recording conversations which they could then use to pass on/sell information to other companies or governments. He can't even tell me what some projects are unless/until after the info has been released to the public. To clarify, I do not nor have ever had access to his work email or password - but I've had to contact HR to send him a link to his work email to reset the pw WHEN HE CAN, as well as for other things. Just because YOU don't have this experience doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Wow, judgmental much? I'm not the OP, but I have to deal with my husband's HR quite a bit. I've even had to call to help him get his work email password changed. Why? Because he's a government contractor who works 10-12 hours a day, and almost everywhere he works requires him to leave his phone with security. When he is allowed to bring in his phone, his signal is often sketchy because some of what he does has to do with intentionally blocking phone signals. Also, he can't bring a lunch with him since there's nowhere to keep it on job sites, so when he's on his 1-hr lunch break, half of it or more is spent driving off-site to get it. One of the things that bothers me most about people is how they are incapable of thinking outside the box for a second.

Weight is about diet for the most part. If you want to weigh less then eat less/better. If you want to FEEL better then try some beginner yin yoga. It's not even exercise really, but it makes your body feel better in general. It's also great for mental health. There are millions of free videos on YouTube.