I've seen those tv shows about people who are compulsive hoarders.  Do you know much about that?
Yes, compulsive hoarding is when a person has a problem with obsessively acquiring and failing to discard objects that cover the living areas of their home
Some of those shows, I just cannot understand why people would live like that.  Is it considered a mental illness?
Well it is a disorder that is associated with health risks, impaired functioning, and adverse effects on friends and family.
Is there a treatment or a medication for it?
Well it has only been defined as a mental disorder since 2013, so research on hoarding is just beginning
I imagine it is very hard on the family as well.  And it's so unhealthy with all the bugs and such.
separate, isolated disorder, or rather a symptom of another condition, such as OCD, but the current DSM lists hoarding disorder as both a mental disability and a possible symptom for OCD. Prevalence rates have been estimated at 2% to 5% in adults, though the condition typically manifests in childhood with symptoms worsening in advanced age, at which point collected items have grown excessive and family members who would otherwise help to maintain and control the levels of clutter have either died or moved away. Hoarding appears to be more common
Compulsive hoarding
Compulsive hoarding, also known as hoarding disorder, is a behavioral pattern characterized by excessive acquisition of and an inability or unwillingness to discard large quantities of objects that cover the living areas of the home and cause significant distress or impairment. Compulsive hoarding behavior has been associated with health risks, impaired functioning, workplace impairment, economic burden, and adverse effects on friends and family members. When clinically significant enough to impair functioning, hoarding can prevent typical uses of space, enough so that it can limit activities such as