The Normalization of Hoarding
One of my favorite shows is The Mindy Project. I "discovered" the show a few months ago so it took me a couple of weeks to catch up on three seasons but it was definitely worth it! Now, there is one doctor, Jessica, that particularly intrigued me because she is a recovering hoarder. I googled to see if there was any commentary about this character played by Julia Stiles but surprisingly there wasn't anything to be found. So, I'll add my two cents...
Hoarding is a serious disorder that continues to be misunderstood by the general public. These days people who have hoarding disorder is fodder for reality shows or a show like The Mindy Project. In some ways I can imagine that these shows provide a level of normalization so people may have a better understanding and hopefully more empathy. On the other hand such shows can act to mock and misrepresent the severity of the disorder.
Regarding Dr. Jessica (she doesn't seem to have a last name) in The Mindy Project, who is a recovering hoarder, we see her apartment and watch her struggle with having to discard items and rationalize her need to keep some of them. Ms. Stiles does a good job expressing some of the distress that a recovering hoarder may have. She also lives out her life as a doctor quite "normally" in that those around her (apart from those knowing about her situation) have no idea that she is a recovering hoarder. Yet in another episode Dr. Mindy Lahiri throws out some of Jessica's stuff out of the window with no consideration of deeply distressing that must be.
Another interesting arc in the show was when Dr. Jessica had Morgan (another character in the show) stay overnight and her willingness to share her reality and how he accepted her with no judgment, which was rather sweet.
Look, I know this is just a show but Hollywood has a way of depicting or creating reality in the imagination of people. We'd be mindful to remember this truth and be vigilant in the ways we may marginalize and stereotype people with a disorder like hoarding.
Hoarding is a serious disorder that continues to be misunderstood by the general public. These days people who have hoarding disorder is fodder for reality shows or a show like The Mindy Project. In some ways I can imagine that these shows provide a level of normalization so people may have a better understanding and hopefully more empathy. On the other hand such shows can act to mock and misrepresent the severity of the disorder.
Regarding Dr. Jessica (she doesn't seem to have a last name) in The Mindy Project, who is a recovering hoarder, we see her apartment and watch her struggle with having to discard items and rationalize her need to keep some of them. Ms. Stiles does a good job expressing some of the distress that a recovering hoarder may have. She also lives out her life as a doctor quite "normally" in that those around her (apart from those knowing about her situation) have no idea that she is a recovering hoarder. Yet in another episode Dr. Mindy Lahiri throws out some of Jessica's stuff out of the window with no consideration of deeply distressing that must be.
Another interesting arc in the show was when Dr. Jessica had Morgan (another character in the show) stay overnight and her willingness to share her reality and how he accepted her with no judgment, which was rather sweet.
Look, I know this is just a show but Hollywood has a way of depicting or creating reality in the imagination of people. We'd be mindful to remember this truth and be vigilant in the ways we may marginalize and stereotype people with a disorder like hoarding.
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