Understanding Hoarding and Chronic Disorganisation
Find out more about what the difference is between these two
What is Hoarding?
Dictionary definitions often frame hoarding simply as collecting or storing large amounts of items. But that doesn't capture the true complexity of living with hoarding behaviours.
It’s the nagging feeling that you might need that single screw one day, the guilt of throwing away reusable plastic, or the fear that letting go of that shirt means losing the happy memories attached to it. The emotional connections to the items in your home can offer comfort and security, while simultaneously creating stress and overwhelm.
There are many reasons people hoard and this can be learned behaviour, grief, trauma, homelessness, or anxiety to name a few.
That complexity is what makes tackling hoarding behaviours so challenging. There is no one size fits all approach and support for hoarding behaviours needs to be tailored to each individual.
What is Chronic Disorganisation?
Chronic disorganisation when it comes to a cluttered environment is due to a long-term struggle to know where things belong and how to sort them well.
Factors that contribute include the feeling that you need to see something or you forget you have it (the fancy term is object impermanence), as well as executive dysfunction—where you either have trouble visualising a task and doing all the steps, or get distracted along the way.
This is often linked to neurodivergence, although there are other factors such as stress, burnout, and grief that can impact a person's living environment.
What's the difference?
I can't tell from a picture whether someone is disorganised or has hoarding behaviours; it's the drivers behind the two that define them.
Hoarding behaviours are driven by emotional attachment. People are often reluctant to part with things.
Disorganised people are often glad to let things go—they just don't know where to start.
Due to these differences, it's important that a therapist understands what is behind your clutter in order to provide the right support, and my approach is tailored to your needs based on what your drivers and circumstances are.
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