Last Updated on February 15, 2023 by Mike Robinson
Studies consistently reveal that over 2 million people in North America live in homes so cluttered that they can barely walk through them or find a place to sit. The reasons for being disorganized and the feelings that come with it are deeply rooted in mental health. But exactly how are clutter and trauma related?
This article will touch on all the important points you need to know to answer this question.
As shown above, a person’s mental health problems can make it harder for them to keep their home in order and reduce their motivation to do so. Additionally, a messy house can make you feel anxious, frustrated, angry, sad, and overwhelmed, leading to or worsening mental health problems. In some situations, it seems likely that these two things happen at the same time.
Hoarding vs. Clutter
Both hoarding disorder and clutter are characterized by individuals who make a mess and collect a lot of things. Their clutter comes from items they receive as gifts or hand-me-downs. These things can be a collection of purchased items, things with emotional value like baby clothes, and useful things they haven’t used in a long time.
But, unlike hoarding disorder, clutter is not a mental disorder. A hoarding disorder is when a pile of unorganized things causes clinically significant distress or makes it hard to function. For example, things are so out of order that it is hard to move around.
This environment opens the door to getting hurt, sick or poor performance at work or school. We’ll talk more about how they’re different.
Hoarding Disorder
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5; 2013), someone with hoarding disorder has trouble getting rid of things, no matter how valuable they are. People with this condition feel the need to keep certain things and feel bad when they have to throw them away.
They might think the items are pretty, useful, or have sentimental value. Some may also worry that if they throw away things like mail, newspapers, paperwork, and books, they might lose important information. It’s important to note that the items aren’t always things that don’t seem useful.
Many people with hoarding disorder collect valuable items, often piled with less valuable ones. Other signs of hoarding disorder are trying to be perfect, putting things off, having trouble planning, avoiding things, and being easily distracted.
Compulsive hoarding is a painful condition that can ruin relationships and tear families apart. Statistics show that 15–30% of people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) tend to hoard things. Recent studies have also shown that people with OCD and hoarding symptoms are more likely to have been through at least one traumatic event than those with OCD alone.
This suggests that compulsive shopping and the obsessive need to collect and keep things may be a way to deal with grief, loss, or post-traumatic stress.
Defining clutter
DSM-5 defines clutter as “a large group of usually unrelated or marginally related objects piled together in a disorganized fashion in spaces designed for other purposes (e.g., tabletops, floor, hallway).” Also, broken or unused things that need to be removed from the house are considered home clutter.
Things like hand-me-downs and gifts purchased things with sentimental value like baby clothes and rarely used valuable items all add to the mess. Many people keep things they don’t need out of guilt. They feel bad when they get rid of things they think are important.
It’s normal to have a lot of stuff in our homes, offices, etc., from time to time. Each person is used to a different amount of clutter. Those with problem-level clutter may have significant struggles in maintaining the tidiness of their homes; the mess often returns even after getting help with cleaning.
Red flags include buying many of the same things over time and not paying bills on time because they can’t find them. Feeling out of control because of the mess, family fights, and the inability to have guests over because of the mess.
What is trauma?
A lot of people experience trauma at some point in their lives. Some are directly affected, while others may be affected indirectly. Trauma affects and is handled by each person differently. Most of them get over it within a certain amount of time, but some may not be able to and may show signs of what we call Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
What is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a serious mental illness that can happen to someone who has been through something terrible, shocking, or scary. PTSD can cause problems in relationships, at home, and work. Also, it can sometimes lead to health problems in the body. PTSD is a mental health issue caused by stress.
Stress causes short and long-term changes in neurochemical pathways in parts of the brain resulting in symptoms of PTSD. The hippocampus, amygdala, and medial prefrontal cortex are all crucial parts of the brain regarding PTSD. Cortisol and norepinephrine are two neurochemical pathways that are important for stress responses.
Past trauma and clutter
Here is an example of trauma that links back to childhood that could contribute to clutter. Many years ago, when you were a child, your mother used to go into your room and look around. She may have scolded you for the mess and demanded what “junk” you had to throw away. As a result, you grew up to be a hoarder.
According to Psychology Today, “Getting more “stuff” helps people fill the emotional hole left by the trauma and avoid dealing with the pain.
When these things are taken away later, it can cause a lot of stress, especially if someone else does it without the hoarder’s permission.” Also, the article said, ”
Recent studies have shown that people with OCD and hoarding symptoms are more likely to have experienced at least one traumatic life event than those with OCD alone.” This suggests that compulsive shopping and the obsessive need to collect and keep material objects may be a way to deal with grief, loss, or post-traumatic stress.
A deeper look into clutter and trauma
We may have heard the term “cluttering a lot at random,” which means to pile up a lot of bad stuff in any way.
There is a link between trauma and getting more and more stuff. When someone goes through a traumatic event, their brain, especially the prefrontal cortex, is affected. This part of the brain does the executive functions.
Executive functions are important ways of thinking, such as judging, making decisions, anticipating, and planning. Also, this is why it’s hard for people to get their things in order when they’re going through a hard time.
Even when they feel like they are getting better, they keep getting more stuff, which drains more energy. Because our brains are flexible and can make new neural connections, there is hope. It is possible to strengthen executive functions and organize and eliminate clutter after trauma.
Invisible obstacles
There is a reason why people who have been through a lot tend to have more clutter than other people. Research shows that PTSD and hoarding are connected.
When someone goes through a traumatic event, they put up walls around themselves and everything else. If they start getting rid of things or clutter, they feel empty inside, making it harder for them than others. Clutter creates an unintentional wall.
Dependencies and obsessions
We’ve all heard that people who have been through trauma tend to become addicted to something, whether gambling, shopping, drugs, or something else.
People who have been through trauma and buy something here feel a rush of endorphins for almost 20 minutes and are happy. But when the wave stops, they start to feel bad again. The “good” feeling is only temporary and worsens the emotional situation and clutter.
No win situation
The more stuff people have around them, the more tired they feel. This is because their brains have to take in all the information at once, making them tired. People who have been through trauma are already in a bad mood, and being tired makes the situation worse.
How to beat PTSD and the habit of cluttering
I’ve found that the best way to get rid of clutter is to do it in four different ways. To get rid of trauma, a person must be able to deal with each of the four dimensions. Stress, the mind, time, and space are the four dimensions.
When a person waits to eliminate clutter, their brain automatically asks for reasons and a logical explanation for the act. Fear takes over, even if the change is for the better.
Setting a goal is one of the most critical parts of the process. Having a plan and knowing why you should do something is helpful and adds to the recovery process.
If you are clear about your goal, you will have a clear picture of your life. People who don’t know what they want may revert to cluttering to make their subconscious happy.
Conclusion:
It is important to realize that the person will require an understanding and sympathetic attitude. Hoarding and clutter can be serious conditions for some and must be addressed over time with the help of experts.
I believe anyone can go through the decluttering process and make life worth living, free of stress, mental clutter, calendar clutter, and too many things.
