Tbh a lot of people don’t know how to identify mental illnesses. Until the show got popular, most people don’t know the difference between a hoarder or someone that’s just a slob.Some of these folks' living conditions are absolutely horrific. What tears me apart are stories where clearly the individuals are lonely and they are collecting junk/trash to fill in the void. The families appear to be so condescending and outright awful sometimes, no wonder some individuals prefer to just live like they are instead of reaching out to them for help.