I've been reading about people with a hoarding problem. People who hang onto a large number of items that most other people would not consider useful or valuable, like

-junk mail
-old catalogs and newspapers and telephone books and magazines
-beta and vhs tapes (with no player)
-clothes that might get worn some day but never are (and never in a million years will fit and/or are worn, torn, soiled beyond redemption)
-broken things that might get fixed some day but never are

And the home

-that has beds that cannot be slept in
-tables that only are used to keep junk up off the junk that is piled on the floor and cannot be used for their purpose
-couch and chairs that cannot be sat on
-areas so crowded that a person has to walk carefully to avoid knocking stuff over or even has to pass through sideways

Clutter causes distress or impairment when one

-cannot have friends or family visit because they are so embarrassed by the mess
-cannot have repair or maintenance people in the house to fix things, so broken things don't get repaired
-cannot find the cats for the heaps of dirty laundry
-has the shades drawn, even around the patio, so the neighbors can't see the piles of long-ignored stuff
-has lots of arguments with family about the confusion and dirt
-is at risk of falls, infestation by cockroaches and mice
-feels helpless and anxious because of the clutter which encroaches more and more

Some of the outcomes:

-family members withdraw to certain rooms kept cleaner and less cluttered
-family members prefer to be at work, rather than home
-friends drop away as social interactions are restricted
-more items are bought as the originals can't be located
-frantic searches through trash cans when about to be taken out to the curb
-"don't touch/move my stuff" arguments

There is no hope. There is no cure.