Chronic Disorganization and Hoarding

Sometimes our clients have not responded to traditional attempts to getting organized. For them, conventional approaches just don’t work.

These clients are chronically disorganized. Are you?

Chronic Disorganization (CD) affects every aspect of their lives: relationships, work, home, recreation. It has caused them to lose jobs; friends and even family members become frustrated and just give up on them. Often they become shut off from the world, hoarders in particular, as no one enters their home.

It is important to note, that CD is not a medical diagnosis but a symptom that can come from medical issues, lifestyle changes and learning differences.

There is a broad spectrum of where CD clients are on the disorganization continuum.  Clients have varying degrees of difficulty in areas of their lives. Sometimes their disorganization is situational in that they are transitioning their accommodations, have a change in a relationship, like divorce or a death, or have a particularly chaotic lifestyle for a period of time.

Research is limited and we are learning more all of the time. What we do know is that our clients have trouble with time, paper and clutter. Recent findings have focused on the neurological and psychological conditions that may play a role in chronic disorganization and hoarding behaviour.  These findings are showing that excessive clutter and disorganization can be symptoms of a larger health problem. Emotional trauma, brain injury, attention deficit disorder, depression, chronic pain and grief often prevent people from getting organized or, in some cases, lead to a build-up of clutter. There is so much more to learn about CD and hoarding.

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