Hoarding a private issue that frequently explodes into public view

Hoarding behavior, which affects millions of Americans, can sometimes get so bad that authorities are called to clean out a residence to prevent fires or other dangerous situations.

Earlier this month, about 85 animals were seized from a northeast Minneapolis home. Many had to be put down. There's been little study of hoarding behavior, but people who research it say seizing animals or forcibly cleaning a house often doesn't get to the root of the problem.

MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with Janet Yeats, president of the Minnesota Hoarding Task Force, which is coming up with better ways to get hoarders the help they need.

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