The new A&E documentary, "Hoarding," has recently shed light on how hoarding impacts a family's life in specific and tangible ways: how it affects a family's living conditions, social ability, the children and jobs of family members.

While we may all feel we have clutter and disorganization in our lives at one point or another, knowing the difference between hoarding and chronic disorganization can help address these conditions more effectively, bringing organization and peace back into our lives.

Disorganization: Just a Phase or is it Chronic?

Do you feel overwhelmed because of the paper pile in your home? There are times in everyone's life when aspects of work, school, and your home just seem to slip away from you because you've taken on too much or are experiencing a major life change. But when does disorganization go beyond "situational disorganization" and become chronic? Ask yourself these three questions:

1. Have I been disorganized most or all of my life?
2. Have my efforts to improve my level of organization ultimately failed?
3. Does my disorganization cause negative feelings or consequences on a daily or near-daily basis?

Chronic disorganization (CD) may lead to clutter in the home or office, time management issues and a reactionary response rather than long-term planning. People with CD may:

• Have clutter, including paper, boxes or bags stacked in the office or home
• Always be running behind
• Try to organize but just don't have the energy or time
• Spend the majority of their time putting out fires instead of long-term planning

The National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD) defines Chronic Disorganization as a lifelong struggle against disorganization in which self-help efforts haven't worked, leaving you with negative feelings or consequences every day. 

Some common experiences with CD:

• Your space is filled with piles of paper, boxes, or bags.
• You are always behind schedule or running late for meetings and appointments.
• You are embarrassed by the clutter in your home, office or car (yes, your car!)
• You feel like you're swimming or drowning in clutter.
• You are sure you'd never be able to move all that stuff to a new home.
• Everyone in your house is tripping on kids' toys or laundry.
• You are positive you have one of those somewhere, but have to buy another because you can't find it.
• You spend every day putting out fires, with no time for long-term planning.

While there are many conditions and situations that can bring on chronic disorganization, the most common cause seems to be attention deficit disorder (ADD or AD/HD). AD/HD is characterized by distractibility and difficulty in planning or completing activities, which makes it challenging to sustain a system of organization . . . but not impossible!

A Chronic pain condition is another common cause of CD. If you hurt all the time, you may rarely feel like reorganizing a closet or filing paperwork. Moreover, continual pain can quickly become a distraction making it difficult to focus. Many people with fibromyalgia, arthritis, or chronic fatigue syndrome benefit from tweaking or discovering more efficient ways to function throughout their office or home.

Chronic disorganization can result from a brain injury, even something as seemingly minor as a mild concussion, or it can co-exist with Alzheimer's disease or thyroid dysfunction.

In today's society chronic disorganization is also on the rise as a result of the increase of conditions such as ADD and ADHD combined with how inundated we are with social messages about the value of consumption.

There are many possibilities for CD, and if you experience it in your life, seek support from experienced professionals who can help you implement a system or systems that help.

Knowing the Difference: Aspects of Hoarding

While chronic disorganization may result in clutter and loss of living space, it is not the same as hoarding.

Hoarding involves the physical activity of purchasing or bringing unneeded items into a home. It also produces physical reactions: fear of not having enough or of letting an item go may bring on a nausea, or shortness of breath. Psychological and emotional issues are present throughout. The hoarder may project emotional attachments onto specific objects and feel driven by many motivations to acquire and save specific items.

Hoarders may:

• See value in every item or in specific types of items
• Fear loss of an item or information, such as newspaper or magazine
• Purchase items compulsively
• Be unable to prioritize not only items in their homes, but also aspects of their lives

Compulsive hoarding is an extremely complex disorder. It is also still a relatively new field of study and there is much that we are still learning, and need to learn, about how to best work with hoarders and offer helpful treatment. Since hoarders may often not even recognize there is a problem, a family member or friend may be the one to identify the seriousness of hoarding in their lives.

Those with chronic disorganization may recognize the problem of clutter impeding their lifestyle, but may feel helpless to do anything about it.

Both conditions involve the physical act of removing clutter from a home. However, little will change if there is no behavior change, and the underlying psychological issues are not addressed. Getting help from a mental health professional who is very informed about these issues and how best to work with them is a critical part of effective treatment.

As a professional organizer, I provide helpful organizational systems and tips that restructure not only the organization of a room or office space, but that also address time management, filing systems, and creating habits and behaviors that over time, lead to long-term organization.

When working with hoarders or the chronically disorganized, I take a team approach, collaborating with mental health professionals who can address the emotional and behavioral aspects of a client's hoarding behavior or chronic disorganization. Together, we provide a support system.