2/6/08: Celebrity Hoarder out of the closet: Delta Burke

COH & ACOA Joined: Jul 22, 2006 Posts: 2032 Location: Cabo

Delta Burke in Psychiatric Ward
Posted Feb 6th 2008 11:28AM by TMZ Staff

TMZ has learned "Designing Women" star Delta Burke checked herself into a psychiatric hospital last week for depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and "hoarding."

http://www.tmz.com/2008/02/06/delta-burke-in-psychiatric-ward/

(Interesting, Delta Burke was in a movie where she was a compulsive gambler...."Going For Broke" or something like that)

The audio:
http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_audio/020408_burke_tease.mp3

COH & ACOA Joined: Jul 22, 2006 Posts: 2032 Location: Cabo

fyi-
There will be an interview with Delta Burke on the next TMZ show-I'm assuming tonight, they are advertising as:

"Hear Delta Burke explain how hoarding almost ruined her life, on the next TMZ."

Check your local listings here:
http://www.tmz.com/tmztv

COH & ACOA Joined: Jul 22, 2006 Posts: 2032 Location: Cabo

Delta Burke: Designing Women star in Psychiatric Ward
February 6, 2008

Best known for her role as Suzanne Sugarbaker in the television series Designing Women, tv, stage and film actress Delta Burke checked into a psychiatric hospital because her medications were not working in the treatment for severe depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and an excessive hoarding disorder.

According to a taped conversation with Burke published on the TMZ blog, Ms Burke shared they suspect she has not been properly diagnosed. Of her mental suffering, Burke spoke most about wanting to get her hoarding issue under control.

She explained, "Okay â€” have you seen those shows where they donâ€™t find the body for days and they go in to clean up and itâ€™s stacks of newspapers up to the ceiling? Thatâ€™s hoarding and I hate it."

Ms Burke was voted Most Likely to Succeed in high school. She went on to win Miss Florida. Of the Designing Women cast members, Ms Burke received two Emmy nominations for Best Actress as Suzanne Sugarbaker. She has a recurring role on Boston Legal as Bella Horowitz, a former love interest of William Shatnerâ€™s character Denny Crane. Currently, it is reported she is reprising her role as Noleta in the upcoming 2008 Del Shoresâ€™ TV series Sordid Lives: The Series.

Delta Burke has been married to actor Gerald McRaney for nearly twenty years. We wish Ms Burke and her family all the best.

http://www.hopeandhealing.com/2008/delta-burke-designing-women-star-in-psychiatric-ward/

COH & ACOA Joined: Jul 22, 2006 Posts: 2032 Location: Cabo

TMZ show interviewed I just watched (phone interview) with Delta Burke.

here is what she said in a nutshell:

*Been hoarding since she was 18
*It's a comfort to her...like she guesses the way food comforts people
*Says she keeps even "stupid things"
*She has 27 storage units
*She is learning why she does it, she doesn't understand *why* she
does it but it is very clear that
SHE HATES HATES HATES BEING A HOARDER.
*She was trying not to cry as she has never talked to anyone about it
before but said "I know this is what I need to do to get better."

Her voice is very, very sincere to me.

COH & ACOA Joined: Jul 22, 2006 Posts: 2032 Location: Cabo

02/08/08

Delta Burke Is Not In A Psychiatric Hospital
A representative for beloved TV star Delta Burke has denied she checked into a psychiatric hospital to seek mental health treatment.

The 51-year-old actress - who is famed for her role in 1980s comedy Designing Women - was reported to have checked into hospital to help cure her acute obsessive compulsive disorder and "hoarding".

However, Gerald McRaney, a spokesman for the star, insists she is not in a psychiatric institution. He tells People.com, "Delta is in a clinic - not a psych ward - to adjust medication. This is something she does one or twice a year. The tabloids have blown it up as if she's landed in a mental institution. It's not true."

And McRaney is unsure how long the actress will remain at the facility. He adds, "Based on past experience, it's anywhere from three days to two weeks. They eliminate everything and then monitor her as they reintroduce the same drugs or new drugs, then see how she responds."

http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2008/02/08/delta_burke_is_not_in_a_psychiatric_hosp

The article on People.com:
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20177030,00.html

COH & ACOA Joined: Jul 22, 2006 Posts: 2032 Location: Cabo

"Delta is in a clinic - not a psych ward - to adjust medication," the rep says. "This is something she does once or twice a year.

Delta Burke Is Not In Psych Ward, Just In A Clinic
February 9, 2008 6:17 a.m. EST
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7009980855

Anne Lu - Celebrity News Service News Writer
Los Angeles, CA (CNS)

- Delta Burke had not pulled a Britney, this is what her husband Gerald McRaney's rep tells People magazine. The Designing Woman star is not in psych ward, she's in a clinic.

"Delta is in a clinic - not a psych ward - to adjust medication," the rep says. "This is something she does once or twice a year.

"The tabloids have blown it up as is she's landed in a mental institution. It's not true," he adds.

The rep clears says that Burke is suffering from a "number of conditions" including depression, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

News that the actress entered the psych ward rounded on tabloid sites on Wednesday for obsessive-compulsive disorder and hoarding.

It is not yet determined how long Burke will stay at the clinic. "Based on past experience, it's anywhere from three days to two weeks," the rep explains. "They eliminate everything and then monitor her as they reintroduce the same drugs or new drugs, then see how she responds."

COH & ACOA Joined: Jul 22, 2006 Posts: 2032 Location: Cabo

whoops! I already posted that story!
Well, oh well, there's another source then....

COH & ACOA Joined: Jul 22, 2006 Posts: 2032 Location: Cabo

Organizing LA Blog Post

February 06, 2008
Delta Burke Steps Forward About Her Struggle with OCD and Hoarding
There was big news today for victims and families dealing with obsessive-compulsive hoarding disorder. A big Hollywood Star is sharing her personal struggle.

TMZ reports today that Delta Burke checked herself into a Los Angeles-area psychiatric hospital for severe depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and "hoarding."

In an interview that aired today (and bound to hit the Internet any moment), the Designing Women star and wife of actor Gerald McRaney, says the disorder ruined her life, and she's starting to work through it under medical supervision.

Wait, there is more if you click through...

Interestingly enough, we found post-Katrina accounts of the infamous antique collections by Burke and her husband. According to an article in the Celebrity Collector section of the Southeastern Antiquing and Collecting Magazine, McRaney and Burke have "warehouses of collections." They include:

1,500 square feet of sales spaces at the Antique Galleria in Collins, Miss.;

20 banks of climate-controlled units in New Orleans;

Merchandise stored near their home in Studio City, California;

A 5,000-square-foot warehouse in Collins, Miss.

McRaney's brother, Buddy, affectionately dubbed the warehouse in Collins "the best little warehouse in Collins."

The Mayo Clinic say that "hoarding is the excessive collection of items that seem to have limited or no value, such as newspapers or trash, along with the inability to discard them. Hoarding creates such cramped living conditions that entire rooms may be filled to capacity, and homes may be left with only narrow pathways winding through stacks of clutter...."

Dr. David Tolin, Director of the Anxiety Disorders Center at The Institute of Living at Hartford Hospital has information on Oprah Winfrey's website. Certain impulse control disorders (impulsive buying or even stealing,) social anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression and specific personality traits contribute to someone becoming a compulsive hoarder.

It's all unknown what kind of impact this announcement will bring. Is this just another day in Hollywood rehab? Is Burke's story finally a public illumination to the people struggling with this disorder-- that hoarding should not be shameful and it's okay to seek help? What do you think?

http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/440751/25884652

COH & ACOA Joined: Jul 22, 2006 Posts: 2032 Location: Cabo

From an entertainment gossip site:

When TMZ's story about Delta Burke seeking psychiatric help for her hoarding problem came out, we just HAD to find out what Delta has stuffed into those 27 or 30 storage units she has. We pondered; wardrobe items from Designing Women that are too small and out of style? (We pictured rack after rack of Suzanne's polka dot power suits.) Or did Delta collect box after box of old business papers and mail that she can't bear to toss?

Neither, it turns out. Mostly, Delta collects furniture- she can't resist English and French period antiques. Plus, of course tons of glassware and decorative items from the period. She also has two rooms full of porcelain dolls. It seems every time she moves to a new house she puts everything in storage and starts over. Ironically her California home is contemporary and the antiques are unsuitable! Delta admits she has bought the same thing TWICE because she couldn't FIND the first one. Facing the task of sorting out all that stuff is enough to send anyone to the funny farm - we suggest she call Your Little Helper.

http://janetcharltonshollywood.com/gossip/hoarding/what_exactly_did_delta_burke_hoard_20080214.php

COH & ACOA Joined: Jul 22, 2006 Posts: 2032 Location: Cabo

The Celebrity Collector

Delta Burke and Gerald McRaney
Have Warehouses Full of Their Collections
http://www.go-star.com/antiquing/mcraneys.htm

Very interesting article about Delta Burke and her collecting from 2 years ago. I found this via the :
Psychology of Clutter blog (a great blog and Dr. Ragan is a strong supporter of the COH site and COH in general!):

http://psychologyofclutter.wordpress.com/2008/02/16/delta-burke-goes-public-with-hoarding/

COH & ACOA Joined: Jul 22, 2006 Posts: 2032 Location: Cabo

Delta Burke on Her Depression: 'I Will Always Fight'
By Kristin Boehm
February 21, 2008 11:10 AM

Depression is a serious issue, but Delta Burke shows some levity when
she opens up about fighting the disease and trying to conquer her
hoarding addiction.
==========

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the 41-year-old actress
says she thinks of her recent clinic stay "as a solarium visit."

"I didn't mean to be trendy. I went in there â€“ I have talked about
depression before â€“ it is something that I deal with and millions of
Americans deal with. I am trying to remove the stigma," Burke tells
ET.

The star goes on to explain she had spent two weeks in bed prior to
her hospitalization and needed to be put on different â€“ and fewer â€“
medications. She now sees her "amazing" doctors on an out-patient
basis.
***************

When it comes to discussing the hoarding, she jokes that it's her
mom's fault. "My mother saved the diaper I came home from the
hospital in. [She had] old National Geographics stacked up to the
rafters in the attic."
*********************

Burke now says she's getting the issue in check. She had 27 storage
units in New Orleans as well as an addiction to e-bay and QVC â€“ but
is donating or selling most of the hoarded items.

"I will always fight and everyone out there who battles this should
always fight and never let it win," she says.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20179240,00.html

COH & ACOA Joined: Jul 22, 2006 Posts: 2032 Location: Cabo

Today Show video to watch online:
http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=6fd9ba9b-674d-4fb5-9fb8-2a9fe92d34c5◀ Back to results

Where she talks about her depression

(streaming video, you will need patience! :-) )

They touch on hoarding briefly toward the middle of the 4 min. video, they show video of a hoarder's home...the doctor explains hoarding and says there is NOT a correlation with depression and hoarding as hoarding is an anxiety disorder. (Dr. Gail Saltz)

hmmm...that's interesting, I bet if you asked hoarder's if they have depression they would say yes. Glad I don't have to figure any of this out.

Donna

COH & ACOA Joined: Jul 22, 2006 Posts: 2032 Location: Cabo

ABC News today: Delta Burke plans "bang up hoarder's sale"

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Story?id=4358469&page=1

Delta Burke Opens Up About Her Depression
Actress Says Her Battle Is Lifelong and Led to Hoarding
===========
...
Her treatment also helped her deal with another problem â€” hoarding,
which she began discussing during her treatment.

"[I] got into the hoarding issue, which I'd always been way too
ashamed to get into. But thought, 'I just gotta deal with this,'"
Burke said.

Burke hoarded everything from magazines, clothes and even dinner
rolls. She had 27 storage areas at one point.

"We are down to 16 now. It has taken years," Burke said. "They're
getting better. The stacks are getting better. There's not as many
stacks. We've worked on it. But there would be little pathways."

Burke, who sees her hoarding as a separate issue from her depression,
plans to have a sale to get rid of all the items she's collected.

"There's a lot of things I'm going to get rid of now. I'm going to
have a bang-up sale, a hoarder's sale â€” celebrity hoarder's sale.
Yeah, that'll be good. A lot of people would come and then â€” you
know, probably an eBay sale, too."

During her most difficult of times, Burke said husband Gerald McRaney
has supported her.

"We're both kind of weird. So it works out OK," Burke said. "Sure he
gets weary because I'm never dull. But, he loves me so much and I
never expected to be so loved."

Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 12:09 pm Post subject: Andy Warhol

I wonder if Andy was a hoarder but was rich enough to have people organize for him http://www.warhol.org/collections/archives.html

Valued Member Joined: Jun 30, 2008 Posts: 3

it just goes to show, it doesn't matter who you are.

Active Member Joined: Apr 29, 2008 Posts: 422

Delta Burke lost a lot of weight lately also. She looked great in her last TV movie. She has always seemed like a vulnerable insecure person in spite of her success. I enjoyed her so much on Designing Women. I'm sure compulsive eating is in the same gene pool. We have that tendency as well, but blame my father's ancestry. Yep, thanks a lot mom and dad Going nuts