I've had one hoarder among my organizing clients. He was actually referred to me by his psychiatrist. The problem with this extremely nice man was that he didn't want to change. His wife wanted him to change, but he didn't. It was emotionally painful for him to throw something out. We finally stopped meeting.
If you live with a hoarder, it's difficult. Some people have a lot of clutter, but if they want to change this habit, they're fairly easy to work with. A hoarder, on the other hand, is not. There are all sorts of reasons why people hoard, ranging from a deprived childhood to obsessive-compulsive disorder to lack of self-esteem. I'm not a behavioral health expert, so I won't try to tell you how to cope with these people. But I will say that if you find living with a hoarder impossible or if you hoard yourself, get some professional help.
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