I don't know too much about hoarding. I've never had any personal experience in dealing with someone who hoards. But I do have experience with mental illness. My son is schizophrenic and mildly autistic, and has been diagnosed since age twelve. Part of a psychotic disorder is the inabilty to organize one's thoughts and follow thorugh with plans. Looking back, I can see how this has affected my son's abilty to function since he was very young. He is not capable of organizing his life on his own and, thankfully, he has his family to provide that structure and help for him. Asking why someone with "whatever kind of illness" can't "deal with it" is tantamount to asking someone with cancer why he/she can't deal with that. It is far more complex and is just as real as any other severe illness. I am not suggesting that mental illness absolves someone from all responsiblities in their life, but I am saying that TRUE major mental illness is a tremendous challenge, sapping most enjoyment and reason from the sufferer's life and often robbing him or her of the ability to function I should mention I didn't see the program in question, but I've been following this thread with interest. I can't say whether the woman on the program had a severe mental illness or not, although it certainly sounds like it. I just felt compelled to ask for a little compassion for those who truly are suffering under a heavy load. Sometimes I think that those who are more functional than my son actually have a harder time in life, as they don't have the range of supports and backup that he has to help him make his way through what is to him a very confusing world.

Posted by trishaw (My Page) on Wed, Mar 12, 08 at 11:33 I would love to read it- Add me to the list please? I have heard wonderful things about this book but our local library still does not have it! I have a ton of books that I would not mind sharing. Anyone else up for a book swap? Trish

I just returned from seeing it. It's well-written and the acting is first rate. Queen Latifa (sp?) is a shining star in this movie. That said, here's the downside. I found this movie to be pretty depressing. Seeing a 14-year-old girl suffer abuse and rejection is gut-wrenching. Then again, I'm one of those people who can't watch violence on television without getting nauseous. There were some other rough scenes, too. I really loved the story line and glad it had a good ending, but some of the scenes (such as the one with Rosaline and the white men) also made me ill. Rose

I started watching this when they had the marathon on over the weekend. Are today's teens really so sex-obsessed? I swear the word sex is said every 5 seconds on that show. If my mother ever suggested that I masturbate when I was a teen, I'd probably still be sitting in that same spot, stunned, 25 years later. There are only about 3 characters that I like (Ben, his dad and his dad's girlfriend). I think it could be much better but it still managed to draw me in. I like the humor and the drama even though the focus on sex makes me shake my head.