Chronic Disorganization

Chronic Disorganization is defined by the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) as “having a past history of disorganization in which self-help efforts to change have failed, an undermining of current quality of life due to disorganization, and the expectation of future disorganization”. As a member of ICD, and with a degree in Psychology, Liz brings knowledge and compassion to individuals in this situation. Progress can be made, so please feel free to contact us for more information.

Hoarding is a small subset of Chronic Disorganization. It has been proposed as a disorder in the newest revision of the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual (DSM V), published by the American Psychiatric Association. The proposed symptoms are:

- Persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of whether they are perceived by others to be valuable or not.
- This difficulty is due to strong urges to save items and/or distress associated with discarding.
- The symptoms result in the accumulation of a large number of possessions that fill up and clutter the active living areas of the home or workplace to the extent that the intended use of at least some of these areas is no longer possible (i.e. can no longer cook in the kitchen).
- The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

Individuals who hoard may be challenged by the Fire Department or Health Services to clear out their home, or face fines or eviction.

If you, or your loved one, hoards, please feel free to contact us. Confidentiality is of the utmost importance to us.