'Hoarders': Richard Heals By Revealing A Long-Held Secret To His Family (VIDEO)

People hoard for all different kinds of reasons, but often it is because of emotional trouble or trauma they are suffering. For Richard on the latest episode of "Hoarders" (Mon., 9 p.m. EST on A&E), his problem didn't stem from a traumatic loss, but rather from a secret he was holding deep inside.

While it isn't clear if he'd told anyone outside of his family, Richard kept saying throughout that he felt like an outsider. He felt they didn't accept him for who he is. And yet, in all the interviews with his brother and sisters, it seemed they wanted to accept him but he simply wouldn't let them. Again, it's not revealed how the family dymanics have been through the years, but this clean-up process proved very healing in a very important way.

After his sister confronted him and told him he needed to be open with them and let them in, Richard took some time away from the cameras to talk to them. He later revealed that he'd come out as a gay man to them for the first time. It was a secret he'd been holding for decades and, because of his mental illness, it manifested in a severe hoarding condition.

Now that he's come out to his family, and found the support and open love he'd never believed was there, his journey toward healing can begin. With such a breakthrough, and with his family behind him, Richard's prognosis for a happy and healthy future is very good.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

Related on HuffPost:

Comments

[BinghamLofts]

01:31 PM on 01/10/2012

i've met some incredibly effeminate and flamboyant gays who did not know it.

[PhloxJeana]

12:10 PM on 01/10/2012

After he came out, his family said, "And?" Did he really think this was a big secret he was keeping from anyone? If he did, then he clearly was living in his own little world. And this is was shame does to people. In this case and at this later stage of his life, it seemed to be all from his own internal voice, not what his family was actually showing him.

[onionboy]

01:23 PM on 01/10/2012

I was part of one of those awkward coming-out moments. Friends were literally gathered around. We all thought the announcement was career oriented. Suddenly, no news is big news...he told everyone he was gay. Everyone looked around at each other, 'awkward' in everyone's eyes. I don't remember who first feigned the perfect 'surprised' face, but we all mimicked it immediately. After he left, every voice in the room was saying, "I thought he'd been out for years."

I'm sure it was a great catharsis on his end, though.

[PhloxJeana]

07:10 PM on 01/10/2012

The surprised face - great idea!

I'm sure it was a catharsis, it's too bad it had to take that long. If the guy had been 25, ok. But at his age, when you have a brother who "likes pretty things," has the outward demeanor that he did, and obviously never had a significant person in his life, assumptions can be made. The poor guy has spent his whole life feeling ashamed of himself to the point that he never even found love. Sad.

[Counterintuitive]

01:56 PM on 01/11/2012

I would never have thought of "feigned surprise" as a sort of gift before. But when you put it this way it becomes an act of kindness. The same guy is probably commenting somewhere else on this thread about how he managed to fooled his friends for years.

[Fletch55]

12:06 PM on 01/10/2012

They didnt know he was gay? A quick look at him and you can tell at least any straight male can tell easily. The weird thing is he is a non clean homosexual which is the stranger thing not one bit of color cordinating lol

[hpycmpr155]

11:45 AM on 01/10/2012

Okay so you're gay.
Big deal.
Everybody is gay these days.
Now clean your house.

[lynx781]

11:22 AM on 01/10/2012

Have to put this in my top 3 favorite episodes. The Arts & Crafts interior of that house is nice! Strength to you, Richard.

[stellablu]

11:22 AM on 01/10/2012

I too was plugged into the fact that he was gay! However, compulsive hoarders are the extreme as are complusive cleaners. I know that I suffered from that and would clean morning, noon and night. When I realized that anxiety from problems was driving me over the edge I got help. I thought that I can not control things outside my immediate environment, but I can control my house! It is just as exhausting either way! Good luck to Richard!

[mjoutfit]

11:21 AM on 01/10/2012

...of course, in the real, real world, 'reality' TV is the latest form of fictionalized entertainment, and is far removed from reality. Gee, presto, this man is not only instantly healed, he is accepted by America itself. Right there on TV he spilled his guts and was transformed... halleluiah!

[stellablu]

12:19 PM on 01/10/2012

I am sure he has been in therapy for some time before this aired on tv! The sharing of his problem with his family is part of the therapeutic process!

[jimmyjimmy07]

02:28 PM on 01/10/2012

Good to see you approach things on "reality" television with a healthy dose of skepticism. I'm sure its all true, ever word of it.

[voodoochilde93]

11:11 AM on 01/10/2012

This is not an attempt to be cruel. I have little sympathy for hoarders. I can understand with this guy, but most hoarders are not only dangers to themselves, but to others. Children of hoarders suffer terrible, terrible abuse not only from the hoarders themselves, but also from the various consequences. In addition, hoarders seem to only care about themselves. They care more about material objects than friends or family even their "pets" (aka animal hoarding). Hoarding is a form of OCD, and one of the hardest compulsions to treat. In the meantime, until the hoarder finally gets help, everyone suffers.

[stellablu]

11:24 AM on 01/10/2012

How can you say on one hand that you have little sympathy for hoarders while on the other hand you are mentioning a mental health issue of OCD and how hard it is to treat!

[hpycmpr155]

11:25 AM on 01/10/2012

Thank you. That was my first response.
Oh Boo hoo........
Here's an idea.
GET SOME HELP!

[Wendy PetersMasuhara]

11:09 AM on 01/10/2012

I watched the show and it took me 2 minutes to know he was gay. I'm sure the family knew, but didn't discuss it. My husband is a hoarder. He's not dirty, he just can't let anything go. He also checks the garbage to make sure I didn't toss anything he can't live without. My house is clean, his hoard is confined to his bedroom, office and garage and carport. My bedroom is the master and its beautiful. The hoarding does bother me a lot but he's not going to change cuz he doesn't think he's doing anything out of the norm.

[zamorasbd]

11:33 AM on 01/10/2012

yeah..me too! like ellen or rosie..ah, we see it from the get go!

[loufalce]

10:59 AM on 01/10/2012

He looks like Dan the auction caller on "Storage Wars".

[natal plum]

10:51 AM on 01/10/2012

Oh, okay.

[beatlesfan5545]

10:37 AM on 01/10/2012

I watched this show last night...and if his family didn't know he was gay they had to be idoits. I could tell in the first few seconds that he was...and I don't have good gaydar at all. Good for him for admitting it and getting it off his chest. Now maybe he can move forward...

[mj7potts]

11:03 AM on 01/10/2012

I know! I don't know who he thinks he was fooling? Poor dude, shame he wasted his whole life thinking his family wouldn't accept him.

[anitafeeney]

12:57 AM on 01/11/2012

a lot of families wouldnt a friend of mine got kicked out by his parents after he came out to them it hurt him deeply but they just would not accept him and his mom said youcant come back untill you act straight quote unquote

[channel80]

10:35 AM on 01/10/2012

this poor man. so sad...

[KarenOConnor]

10:32 AM on 01/10/2012

Richard was a very sympathic character who moved me to say a little prayer for his continued success. My observation is that the secret Richard thought he'd been keeping was quite obvious to anyone (sorry Richard--really think you very likable),and I'm sure his family suspected and didn't give a damn about it. You're as sick as your secrets and now that Richard has seen that no one cares for him any less, he has no excuse to hide. ( Richard, if you happen to see read this: Now you can show off the lovely things that you have collected and give them and yourself the loving care and respect that they deserve). Oh, and go get a job. There's nothing wrong with you. Some place would love to have you as a part of their sales team.

[SystemError]

10:24 AM on 01/10/2012

I saw that rainbow from a mile away. Cmon