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When underlying trauma is repeated and ongoing, some mental health professionals make a distinction between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its more intense sibling, complex post-traumatic stress disorder—also known as complex PTSD.

Complex PTSD (or C-PTSD) is an anxiety condition that involves many of the same symptoms of PTSD along with other symptoms. First recognized as a condition that affects war veterans, PTSD can be caused by any number of traumatic events, such as a car accident, natural disaster, near-death experience, or other isolated acts of violence or abuse. 

People with C-PTSD and PTSD have an absence of the sense of safety, the past feels like the present.

C-PTSD has gained attention in the years since it was first described in the late 1980s. However, it is important to note that it is not recognized as a distinct condition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5-TR), the tool that mental health professionals use to diagnose mental health conditions.

What’s the Difference Between C-PTSD and PTSD?

Both PTSD and C-PTSD result from the experience of something deeply traumatic and can cause flashbacks, nightmares, and insomnia. Both conditions can also make you feel intensely afraid and unsafe even though the danger has passed. However, despite these similarities, some characteristics differentiate C-PTSD from PTSD according to some experts.

The main difference between the two disorders is the frequency of the trauma. While PTSD is caused by a single traumatic event, C-PTSD is caused by long-lasting trauma that continues or repeats for months, even years (commonly referred to as “complex trauma”).

When it comes to C-PTSD, the harmful effects of oppression and racism can add layers to complex trauma experienced by individuals. This is further compounded if the justice system is involved.

The psychological and developmental impacts of complex trauma early in life are often more severe than a single traumatic experience—so different that many experts believe that the PTSD diagnostic criteria don’t adequately describe the wide-ranging, long-lasting consequences of C-PTSD.

What Does C-PTSD Look Like in Adults?

In addition to all of the core symptoms of PTSD—re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal—C-PTSD symptoms generally also include:

• Difficulty controlling emotions. It’s common for someone suffering from C-PTSD to lose control over their emotions, which can manifest as explosive anger, persistent sadness, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
• Negative self-view. C-PTSD can cause a person to view themselves in a negative light. They may feel helpless, guilty, or ashamed. They often have a sense of being completely different from other people.
• Difficulty with relationships. Relationships may suffer due to difficulty trusting others and a negative self-view. A person with C-PTSD may avoid relationships or develop unhealthy relationships because that is what they knew in the past.
• Detachment from the trauma. A person may disconnect from themselves (depersonalization) and the world around them (derealization). Some people might even forget their trauma.
• Loss of a system of meanings. This can include losing one’s core beliefs, values, religious faith, or hope in the world and other people.

All of these symptoms can be life-altering and cause significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational, or other important areas of life.

Diagnosis of C-PTSD

Although the concept of C-PTSD is longstanding, it is not in the fifth edition text revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR), and therefore isn’t officially recognized by the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

Although C-PTSD comes with its own set of symptoms, some believe the condition is too similar to PTSD (and other trauma-related conditions) to warrant a separate diagnosis. As a result, the DSM-5-TR lumps symptoms of C-PTSD together with PTSD.

Many mental health professionals do recognize C-PTSD as a separate condition, because the traditional symptoms of PTSD do not fully capture some of the unique characteristics shown in people who experienced repeat trauma.

Because the condition is relatively new and not recognized in the DSM-5-TR, doctors may make a diagnosis of PTSD instead of complex PTSD. Since there is no specific test to determine the difference between PTSD and C-PTSD, you should keep track of the symptoms you have experienced so that you can describe them to your doctor. 

Treatment for the two conditions is similar, but you may want to discuss some of your additional symptoms of complex trauma that your doctor or therapist may also need to address.

C-PTSD also can share signs and symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Although BPD doesn’t always have its roots in trauma, this is often the case. In fact, some researchers and psychologists advocate for putting BPD under the umbrella of C-PTSD in future editions of the DSM to acknowledge the link to trauma, foster a better understanding of BPD, and help people with BPD face less stigma.

What Causes or Triggers C-PTSD?

C-PTSD is believed to be caused by severe, repetitive abuse over a long period of time. The abuse often occurs at vulnerable times in a person’s life—such as early childhood or adolescence—and can create lifelong challenges.

Traumatic stress can have a number of effects on the brain. Research suggests that trauma is associated with lasting changes in key areas of the brain including the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex.

The types of long-term traumatic events that can cause C-PTSD include:

In these types of events, a victim is under the control of another person and does not have the ability to easily escape.

C-PTSD Treatment

Because the DSM-5-TR does not currently provide specific diagnostic criteria for C-PTSD, it’s possible to be diagnosed with PTSD when C-PTSD may be a more accurate assessment of your symptoms. Despite the complexity and severity of the disorder, C-PTSD can be treated with many of the same strategies as PTSD, including:

Medications

Medications may help reduce symptoms of C-PTSD, such as anxiety or depression. They are especially helpful when used in combination with psychotherapy. Antidepressants are often used to treat complex PTSD, including Prozac (fluoxetine), Paxil (paroxetine), and Zoloft (sertraline).

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy for C-PTSD focuses on identifying traumatic memories and negative thought patterns, replacing them with more realistic and positive ones, and learning to cope more adaptively to the impact of your trauma. “Psychotherapy for C-PTSD and PTSD focuses on somatic modalities to help people process traumatic experiences and teach people tools to manage symptoms,” explains Renteria.

One type of psychotherapy that may be used to treat both PTSD and complex PTSD is known as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). This approach uses eye movements guided by the therapist to process and reframe traumatic memories. Over time, this process is supposed to reduce the negative feelings associated with the traumatic memory.

How Do I Cope With C-PTSD?

Treatments for complex PTSD can take time, so it is important to find ways to manage and cope with the symptoms of the condition. Some strategies that may help you manage your recovery:

• Find support: Like PTSD, complex PTSD often leads people to withdraw from friends and family. However, having a strong social support network is important for mental well-being. When you are feeling overwhelmed, angry, anxious, or fearful, reach out to a trusted friend or family member. 
• Practice mindfulness: Complex PTSD can lead to feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. Mindfulness is a strategy that can help you become more aware of what you are feeling in the moment and combat feelings of distress. This practice involves learning ways to focus on the present moment. “Grounding exercises can be really helpful for people during flashbacks, episodes of intense emotions, or when they wake up from a nightmare,” notes Renteria.
• Write down your thoughts: Research has found that writing in a journal can be helpful in managing PTSD symptoms and decreases symptoms of flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, and nightmares. In terms of treatment, a journal can also be a great way to track symptoms that you can later discuss with your therapist.

Support groups and self-help books can also be helpful when dealing with complex PTSD. Helpful book titles include “The Body Keeps Score” by Bessel van der Kolk, MD, and “Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving” by Pete Walker.

If you or someone you care about has been exposed to repeated trauma and are struggling to cope, it’s important to seek help from a therapist who is familiar with PTSD. In addition to asking your primary care physician for a referral, there are many online resources that can help you find mental health providers in your area who treat PTSD.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is most often diagnosed in childhood. It is characterized by hyperactive, impulsive, and inattentive characteristics, but that doesn’t always mean that every child or adult who exhibits these symptoms necessarily has ADHD. In fact, there are many conditions that are sometimes mistaken for ADHD.

If your child seems hyperactive—fidgety, impulsive, and inattentive—don’t automatically assume that they have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Anxiety, depression, learning disorders, physical health, and many other conditions can cause symptoms that look like ADHD, but aren’t.

Environmental Conditions

Stress or a sudden life change, such as a move, parents’ divorce, a death, financial difficulties, or even a new sibling, can sometimes lead to ADHD-like behaviors.

Likewise, neglect, parental/marital conflict, inconsistent discipline, bullying, abuse, and other stressors can negatively affect a child’s emotional and mental health. This can lead to distraction, inattention, restlessness, hyperactivity, and “acting out” behaviors that can resemble, but have nothing to do with, ADHD.

Sleep Problems

Sleep disturbances can have a profound effect on the ability to focus. Other issues can include:

• Hyperactivity
• Irritability
• Slowed visual, auditory, sensory, and motor reaction times
• Mental slowness
• Impaired learning of information
• Decreased school performance

Insufficient sleep is also linked to increased risk-taking behaviors in teens. This can include things such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and taking drugs.

Mental Health Issues

Anxiety can manifest as restlessness, an inability to concentrate, impulsive reactions, and hyperactive behaviors. This anxiety can make it extremely difficult to sit still and control fidgeting.

Similarly, depression can cause lack of focus, forgetfulness, low motivation, indecisiveness, trouble getting started on and completing tasks, lethargy and sluggishness, disorganization, and sleep difficulties.

The disruptive behaviors and poor impulse control associated with oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder also can look like ADHD.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a serious mental health condition characterized by extreme changes in mood, energy, thoughts, and behaviors. Symptoms of bipolar disorder can include:

• High energy levels
• Excessive talking
• Racing thoughts that make it difficult to concentrate
• Impulsivity
• Risk-taking
• Intrusive behaviors

Such symptoms typically occur during a manic or hypomanic episode. Because of this, it can also be confused with symptoms of ADHD.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Attention and concentration problems associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may appear to be ADHD-related, but when delving deeper, a clearer picture emerges. Attention problems may be related to overfocusing, and problems in shifting attention may be due to obsessive thinking.

A person with OCD may be slower to start and finish tasks because of the compulsive behaviors and rituals that they must complete first.

Substance Misuse

ADHD has been associated with a risk for substance misuse. A person who is misusing drugs and/or alcohol can also have behavioral symptoms that mimic ADHD. Such symptoms can include:

• Difficulty concentrating
• Problems with memory
• Restlessness
• Irritability
• Talkativeness
• Sleep problems
• Moodiness
• Academic or work difficulties

Autism

Children and adults on the autism spectrum can have symptoms that resemble ADHD. They may become overexcited, hyperactive, and impulsive in stimulating environments, tend to focus on only those things that interest them, have trouble shifting focus, struggle to understand social cues and boundaries, and experience social impairments.

High motor activity and problems with inhibition are common characteristics of both tic disorders and ADHD. Fidgeting, motor movements, and random noises may hint at ADHD, but tics are defined by rapid, repeated, identical movements of the face or shoulders or vocal sounds or phrases.

Learning Issues and Processing Problems

Similar to a person with ADHD, someone with a learning disability may struggle with issues of attention, processing, organizing, remembering and learning. Learning disabilities in reading, written language, and mathematics interfere with academic functioning, as can speech and language impairments and auditory and visual processing disorders.

A child who is gifted academically but not challenged in the classroom might display ADHD-like behaviors out of boredom, becoming inattentive, impatient, and disruptive. The same issues can also result from a poor educational fit, a classroom with a pervasive negative climate, a non-stimulating curriculum, or ineffective management.

Medical Conditions

Certain medical conditions can cause problems with attention, irritability, impulsivity, or hyperactivity. Examples include:

• Seizures
• Thyroid disease
• Allergies
• Iron-deficiency anemia
• Chronic ear infections
• Hearing/vision impairments

Even certain medications can trigger ADHD-like behavior.

The Importance of Testing and Accurate Diagnosis

ADHD and many conditions like it improve in many people with early intervention. This makes accurate, thorough testing and evaluation using an empirically validated approach so important.

During the evaluation process, the healthcare provider must rule out alternative explanations that might better account for ADHD-like behavior before arriving at an ADHD diagnosis.

To complicate things further, an estimated 77% of children with ADHD have comorbid conditions such as anxiety, depression, behavior issues, learning disabilities, sleep problems, and substance abuse. All of this must be accounted for in your child’s treatment plan, which must be tailored to their needs and diagnosis.

Compulsive shopping disorder is characterized by symptoms such as excessive shopping behaviors and thoughts about shopping. Such thoughts and behavior generate considerable distress and impairment. It can also seriously affect a person’s financial well-being and social relationships.

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) does not recognize compulsive shopping as its own mental disorder. Because of this, there are no consistent criteria for diagnosis. Additionally, researchers debate whether compulsive shopping should be classified as an addictive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, mood-regulation difficulty, or impulse-control disorder.

Characteristics of Compulsive Shopping Disorder

People who have compulsive shopping disorder (sometimes called compulsive buying disorder) are often struck with an irresistible and overpowering urge to purchase goods in spite of negative consequences.

Characteristics of compulsive shopping disorder include:

• Difficulty resisting the purchase of unneeded items
• Financial difficulties because of uncontrolled shopping
• Preoccupation with shopping for unneeded items
• Problems at work, school, or home because of uncontrolled shopping
• Spending a great deal of time researching coveted items and/or shopping for unneeded items

Lastly, to be considered compulsive buying disorder, the compulsive shopping behaviors must not be associated with another mental health condition, such as periods of hypomania or mania with bipolar disorder.

Proposed diagnostic criteria for this condition include:

• Intrusive thoughts and urgest for shopping and buying
• Loss of control over shopping/buying
• Excessive purchasing without intending to use items
• Buying things to regulate internal states
• Negative consequences caused by excessive shopping/buying
• Emotional symptoms when buying/spending is stopped
• Being unable to stop buying/spending behaviors despite negative consequences

Many people who compulsively shop do so as a coping mechanism to mask difficult emotions like stress, anxiety, and low self-esteem. But shopping only provides temporary relief from their struggles. Their inability to control their shopping eventually commonly leaves them with an overwhelming sense of guilt and shame.

Prevalence of Compulsive Shopping Disorder

Compulsive shopping disorder is believed to affect about 5% of the U.S. population. Some research also suggests that women are more likely to be diagnosed with compulsive shopping disorder. However, some researchers suggest this difference may be more of a reflection of women being more open to admitting pathological behavior.

The condition is believed to have an onset in the late teens or early 20s and rarely begins after age 30. This age range is right around when many young adults move away from home and establish their first credit accounts.

Related Conditions

Many compulsive shoppers also experience one of the following co-occurring mental health conditions:

Treatment for Compulsive Shopping Disorder

There is some evidence that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may effectively reduce symptoms in many compulsive shoppers by helping people identify the ways in which they use shopping as a coping mechanism and develop healthier coping skills. However, more research is necessary to determine what types of therapy are effective for whom.

In addition, there is also evidence that compulsive shopping disorder responds to treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

Coping With Compulsive Shopping Disorder

If you are struggling with compulsive shopping, you can use many self-help strategies to help you cope with your symptoms.

Develop New Hobbies

Most people who compulsively shop turn to shopping when they’re bored or stressed. If you use shopping as a stress reliever or a form of entertainment, try to find a healthier replacement.

Stick to a List

When you must go into a store, make a list of what you need before you go and challenge yourself to stick to your list.

Enlist a Friend

If sticking to your shopping list and only buying what you need feels impossible, try enlisting a supportive friend to accompany you to the store. Ask your friend to help hold you accountable.

Pay in Cash

Give yourself a cash allowance and put the credit cards away for emergencies only. You’ll be much less likely to go on a compulsive spending binge when you have a limited amount of cash in your wallet and no credit cards immediately at your disposal.

Unsubscribe and Block

Online shopping has made it even easier to shop from anywhere at any time of the day. To curb compulsive online spending, unsubscribe from marketing emails and use an app and browser extension to block or put limits on your access to websites where you most commonly shop.

If Your Loved One Has Compulsive Shopping Disorder

If your loved one is struggling with compulsive shopping, you may not know how to approach them. Their unhealthy shopping habits may be causing a great deal of emotional turmoil and financial stress, leading you to feel frustrated, angry, maybe even sad.

It’s important to discuss your concerns with your loved one. However, before broaching this sensitive issue with them, it may be helpful to work through your own emotions. Consider consulting a therapist on your own first. A therapist can help you make sense of your emotions and give you a better perspective on the issue.

Further Research Needed

There is a lot of debate around how this condition should be classified. Some researchers link compulsive shopping to addictive disorders, grouping it alongside alcohol and drug use disorders and behavioral addictions like gambling addiction. Others have linked it to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Still, others link it to mood disorders.

With the prevalence of this disorder, as well as the evidence that the number of people affected by it is increasing, more research needs to be done to learn how to more effectively screen and treat people who live with compulsive shopping disorder.

If you and your partner have separated or gotten divorced, it can be difficult to interact with them regularly and maintain a civil relationship. However, you may have to practice and learn how to do so, for the sake of your child or children, to help them grow up with safety, security, and the love and support of both parents.

This is important to help your child adjust because research shows that conflict between co-parents after a divorce or separation can make it much harder for children to cope.

Children often struggle with changes to their family unit and the addition, subtraction, or transition of parental figures can be extremely hard for them, says Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and professor at Yeshiva University. Modeling a cooperative mutually respectful relationship for them can help improve their long-term development.

If you and your family are in this situation, you’re not alone. The structures of families have changed over the years and families today come in many different shapes and sizes. It is estimated that 40% of children in the United States don’t live with a family of two married, biological parents.

This article explores the types of co-parenting arrangements, what healthy co-parenting looks like, tips for successful co-parenting, and what not to do as a co-parent.

Types of Co-Parenting

Researchers have identified three major types of post-divorce co-parenting relationships:

Conflicted Co-Parenting

In this co-parenting arrangement, the parents have frequent conflicts and poor communication between each other. They may have different schedules, parenting styles, rules, and priorities, and may be unable to reach agreements about their child’s needs or daily routine. 

Cooperative Co-Parenting

In cooperative co-parenting arrangements, both parents work together to make decisions regarding their child’s upbringing. This arrangement involves communicating regularly, sharing information about their child’s needs and progress, and coordinating schedules to ensure that the child spends quality time with both parents.

Parallel Co-Parenting

Parallel co-parenting means both sets of parents operate independently, with little communication, engagement, cooperation, or conflict with each other. 

Their household routines and parenting rules are often different from each other, which can lead to a lack of consistency in the child’s life. Any similarities in rules or routines are often not planned or intentional.

What Does Healthy Co-Parenting Look Like?

Healthy co-parenting involves working out a plan and aligning with your child’s co-parent on factors such as:

• Visitation schedule: Co-parents need to work out a visitation schedule that ensures that both parents get to spend quality time with the child. The schedule should take into account weekdays, weekends, holidays, birthdays, and other special events. Parents should also discuss when and how they can contact the child when the child is with the other parent.
• Daily routine: In order to maintain consistency across households, it can be helpful for co-parents to discuss the child’s nutrition, extracurricular activities, bedtime, wake-time, and screen time among other things.
• Education: Both parents should be aligned on where and how the child will be educated. It’s also important for parents to agree on how to divide responsibilities such as paying the child’s school fees, signing permission slips, supervising homework, attending parent-teacher conferences, and participating in other school-related activities.
• Medical needs: It’s important for co-parents to work out which parent will accompany the child to doctor’s visits and coordinating consent for medical treatments. Both parents should be aware of any medical issues the child has and be equipped to manage any medical emergencies.
• Finances: Co-parents should discuss and arrive at a financial arrangement that keeps the child’s best interests in mind. If the parents have been through a divorce proceeding, the court may mandate that one parent make child support payments.

Tips for Successful Co-Parenting

These are some tips that can help you and your former partner successfully co-parent your child:

• Maintain regular communication: It’s important to maintain regular communication with your child, co-parent, and any other stepparents, grandparents, or other caregivers in the child’s life. It can be helpful to share important news and relevant updates about your child’s development, school, activities, medical issues, and routine with everyone involved.
• Work out a co-parenting plan: Jointly work out a plan that covers the factors listed above, such as visitation schedule, daily routine, education, finances, medical needs, etc.
• Create an arrangement that works for both of you: Work out a co-parenting arrangement that works for you and your former partner. If you live nearby, you can have your child spend alternate days or weeks with each of you. Or, if your jobs are on different schedules, the child can spend mornings with one parent and evenings with another. If you live in different cities, the child may have to spend school days with one parent and holidays with another.
• Discuss changes to the plan: The co-parenting plan may have to evolve based on the child’s needs and parents’ circumstances. Discuss any changes or updates to the plan with all the stakeholders involved. This can help ensure everyone is on the same page.
• Be flexible: There may be times when things don’t go according to plan, despite the best intentions. Keep some room for flexibility in case the other parent is late or cannot pick up the child, the babysitter doesn’t show up on time, school lets out early, or there’s an unexpected emergency. Cooperating with your former partner when you are able to can help gain their cooperation for times when you need their help.
• Respect different parenting styles: Understand that everyone has a different parenting style. Unless your former partner’s parenting style is harming your child, respect them and let them bond with the child on their own terms. Exposure to different parenting approaches can help your child learn how to adapt to different situations and relationships.
• Make room for stepparents: You or your former partner may move on and start seeing other people. When you bring new partners into your child’s life, they may take on the role of stepparents. As long as they care for your child and are respectful of your relationship with your child, try to make room for them in your child’s life, instead of resenting, being hostile towards, or diminishing their presence.
• Keep interactions cordial: There may be times when you have to meet or interact with your former partner or other people in their life, such as their family members or current partners. For instance, while dropping off or picking up the child, at the child’s birthday parties, or at school events. Try to keep interactions respectful and cordial.
• Make the most of the time with your child: Make it a point to spend quality time with your child when they’re with you, especially if you have limited time together. Keep other commitments and distractions to a minimum and plan fun activities to do together. Try to create meaningful rituals that are unique to your relationship with your child.
• Prepare for when your child isn’t with you: It’s natural to experience a sense of loss or loneliness when your child isn’t with you. This feeling may be more pronounced on the weekends or holidays. Try to reframe the sense of loss as a chance to rest and relax instead. Try to schedule activities that you enjoy but may not get to do when your child is around, such as seeing friends, watching movies, planning trips, or doing other things for yourself.

What’s Your Parenting Style

This fast and free parenting styles quiz can help you analyze the methods you’re using to parent your kids and whether or not it may be a good idea to learn some new parenting behaviors:

This parenting style quiz was reviewed by Ivy Kwong, LMFT.

What Not to Do in Co-Parenting

These are some actions to avoid if you’re a co-parent:

• Disrupt your child’s routine: Try to ensure that your child’s routine stays consistent, across different households, caregivers, and occasions. A consistent daily routine can be a source of stability and comfort in the child’s life.
• Undermine your former partner: Avoid undermining your former partner around or directly to your children. Don’t flout their rules or speak disrespectfully about them in front of your child. This can be burdensome and have a long-lasting adverse impact on your child. It is most beneficial to show children a united front and show respect for each other’s decisions. Discuss any issues you have with your former partner privately, when your child is not around.
• Make your child feel guilty about loving their other parent: Even if you and your former partner are not romantically involved anymore, they are still your child’s parent and should have the chance to have a loving relationship with them. Don’t make your child feel guilty about loving them, spending time with them, enjoying their time together, talking to you about them, or wanting to contact them while they’re with you.

Are you all white, err—alright? If you are familiar with color psychology, you likely aren’t surprised to know that the color white has a number of meanings and associations. These may, however, vary depending on the individual and the culture in which they live. Some of the main associations often connected to the color white include purity, innocence, cleanliness, blankness, coldness, emptiness, simplicity, and minimalism.

Let’s dig deeper into the meaning of the color white in psychology and spirituality as well as some of the positive and negative associations of this color.

Psychological Characteristics of the Color White

According to color psychology, these are the characteristics of white:

• White represents purity or innocence. While a bride wearing white was often thought to convey the bride’s virginity, blue was once a traditional color worn by brides to symbolize purity.
• White is bright and can create a sense of space or add highlights. Designers often use the color white to make rooms seem larger and more spacious.
• White is also described as cold, bland, and sterile. Rooms painted completely white can seem spacious but empty and unfriendly. Hospitals and hospital workers use white sheets, towels, and walls to create a sense of sterility.
• The color white can also convey a sense of austerity and minimalism. Some may find this calming or refreshing, while others may find it stark or bland.

Spiritual Meaning of the Color White

Many faiths and sacred texts use the color white in reference to:

• Holiness (perfect, flawless)
• Wisdom (associated with white hair)
• Purity (to be purified and made white)
• Religious commitment (wearing white for a dedication ceremony or baptism)
• Peace, anointing, new beginnings (the white dove)
• Prophecy (the white horse)
• Judgment (great white throne judgment)
• Healing (white can be viewed as the color of healing)
• Power (contains all other colors on the light spectrum, out of which comes the rainbow)
• Spiritual beings (angels are often pictured as wearing bright white robes)
• Eternity (going toward the white light when you die)

Positive and Negative Meanings of the Color White

Because color meanings vary from one person to the next, the color white can have both positive and negative meanings.

Some of the positive meanings that white can convey include delicate, pure, calm, bright, fresh, clean, and simple. It may invoke thoughts of white delicate flowers, bright sunny days, fresh air, and a clear mind. The color white is often portrayed as a blank slate, symbolizing a new beginning or a fresh start. And let’s not forget the blushing bride wearing her white gown, and the crowd releases white doves to celebrate the newly married couple.

On the negative side, white can seem stark, cold, and isolated. Others perceive it to be unfriendly, empty, barren, and even mournful. Consider how a large, white, empty room might seem boring, bland, and uninviting.

Meanings of the Color White

The meaning of the color white often depends upon the context. The color is often used in interior design, marketing, and fashion, where it can be utilized in different ways to evoke certain moods or have specific effects.

Feng Shui

White is considered a powerful color in feng shui, a system of arranging your environment to create harmony. Colors are linked to certain feng shui elements and in the case of white, the element it expresses is metal.

Wood and glass accents go extraordinarily well with white, as do bits of black to balance it out. White is also great for kitchens, living rooms, bathrooms, and bedrooms and white flowers in white pots are an economical way to incorporate white into your environment.

Marketing

In marketing and branding, white is used to convey a feeling of safety, purity, freshness, and cleanliness, as well as to create contrast. Some famous brands that use a great deal of white in their logos and marketing are Michelin, Gap, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Lego, Volkswagen, Starbucks, Fisher-Price, Levi’s, and Ford.

Design

In design fields, white is often used to highlight or act as a neutral background to let other colors, objects, or textures take the spotlight. It is also a popular color in minimalistic designs, particularly when used with various other shades of white or other light neutrals such as gray, beige, or taupe.

Fashion

In fashion, the color white is often used to evoke a sense of purity, innocence, freshness, or cleanliness. Because white reflects light, it is often worn in the summer months to help stay cool. However, it also has a reputation for getting dirty or stained quickly, which means it isn’t ideal in situations where a person will be spending time being active or engaging in physical labor.

Color Associations Are Not Universal

One thing to remember is that such color associations are not necessarily universal. Colors can have different meanings, symbolism, and associations in other cultures.

In many Eastern cultures, however, white is symbolically linked to death and sadness. It’s often a color used in funerals and other mourning rituals, which is in contrast to Western cultures that prefer black.

What White Says About Your Personality

One study on adults’ color preferences showed that out of 18 total colors, including no preference, white only ranked 15th as the overall favorite color. It fared a little better when the same adults were asked to rank their favorite color in clothing, coming in at 10th.

White was also ranked number one for evoking moods of quietness and concentration.

If white is your favorite color, it might mean that you have a preference for colors that evoke a sense of calmness or simplicity. Or, it may simply mean that you have formed positive associations with the color in the past.

Clutter and mental health are connected. While clutter is sometimes associated with increased creativity, it can also leave you feeling stressed and overwhelmed if it gets to be too much or interferes with your ability to function effectively in your daily life.

Do you dig through piles of clothes to find the shirt you want to wear for the day? When you leave the house, do you struggle to find your keys and wallet among all the items on your kitchen table? Maybe you can’t open the garage door because there are so many boxes of knick-knacks.

You might tell yourself, I’ll declutter eventually. But time keeps passing, and your home, office, or car is still filled to the brim with stuff. If any of this resonates with you, you’re not alone. But many people don’t realize the connection between clutter and mental health.

This article covers what clutter is, clutter’s impact on mental health, what hoarding is, as well as ways you can manage clutter and get organized.

What Is Clutter?

The word clutter refers to items that are strewn about in a disorganized fashion. In general, clutter is a collection of items that people accumulate in their homes and don’t necessarily use, but hold on to anyway.

Clutter can even be digital—maybe you never get around to clearing out your email inbox or organizing the documents on your laptop. Just looking at the amount of files you have on your computer might overwhelm you.

Impact of Clutter on Mental Health

Clutter impacts your physical space in an obvious way; but some people don’t realize that clutter can have negative mental health effects, too.

By becoming aware of how much clutter you have and whether you experience any stress as a result, you’ll be better able to discern if there’s an opportunity for you to modify your physical space and improve your mental health.

Increased Stress Levels

Ideally, home is a place where we can rest and relax. However, clutter can make it hard to do that. One study found that women who reported more clutter in their homes had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol throughout the day compared to women who had less clutter.

Clutter can also contribute to household chaos, which is associated with worse parenting practices, negative emotions, and stress.

Difficulty Focusing

Clutter can actually be distracting. Our brains can only focus on a limited amount of stimuli at a time. So if you’re surrounded by clutter when you’re trying to work from home, for example, the clutter can actually make it harder for you to think clearly.

Procrastination

Research shows that people with cluttered homes tend to procrastinate on important tasks. You might have to dig through stacks of papers to pay the bills, or maybe you have so many piles of dirty clothes that it feels overwhelming to start the laundry.

Difficulty With Relationships

It’s not uncommon for spouses, partners, or even roommates to argue over whether one person’s things are taking up too much space. There might be added strain in a relationship if your clutter is an annoyance to the person you’re living with.

Research has also found that background clutter made it more difficult for participants to accurately identify the emotions expressed on the faces of movie characters. In relationships, this might lead to misunderstanding and poor communication.

Trouble Controlling Impulses

One study found that a cluttered environment combined with an “out-of-control mind-set” triggered participants to engage in unhealthy eating behaviors.

In other words, the research suggests that it can be more difficult to control your impulses when your mental health and your environment are stressful or “chaotic.”

Lower Quality of Life

Clutter can easily lead to a nearly constant feeling of frustration as you struggle to complete daily tasks. The time you spend looking for objects you need or attempting to organize your items could be time spent with loved ones, doing some self-care, or even just relaxing.

Decreased Well-Being

The clutter in your environment can even cause you to develop negative feelings about your home. In a 2016 study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, researchers suggest that this is because ‘home’ is more than just where we live.

Instead, they suggest that home is a constellation of situations, experiences, and meanings. The individual shapes these experiences, but they are also shaped by them.

For this reason, excessive clutter was found to harm subjective well-being.

Why Do People Have Clutter?

While some chalk it up to laziness, there’s actually underlying psychology of clutter and disorganization that keeps people from tidying up.

Potential reasons people hold onto clutter include:

• They feel overwhelmed: It’s often a huge job to get rid of things, which can be physically and mentally exhausting. In the short term, it feels easier to keep things the same.
• Objects remind them of important things: People keep clothes that don’t fit anymore because they hope to lose weight. They hang on to old brochures for cruises because they want to travel. However, keeping objects that remind you of your goals doesn’t make you closer to achieving what you want.
• Objects have sentimental value: People keep objects from childhood that they associate with fond memories. If a loved one passed away, throwing away their possessions is often hard.
• They’re afraid to let things go: People are often afraid of feeling guilty about throwing things away (especially, as mentioned, if the object has sentimental value). Also, being unable to get something back once they get rid of it can be scary. What if they need it later on?
• They find comfort in their possessions: It wouldn’t be so hard to get rid of things if material items didn’t benefit people somehow. People’s possessions, even if they don’t use them, often bring a sense of safety and security that can be painful to let go of.

Some neurodivergent people, such as those with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), may struggle more to stay organized. Over time, this can contribute to a more cluttered environment.

What Is Hoarding?

Having clutter in your home and having hoarding disorder are two different things; however, it’s important to recognize the signs of hoarding in yourself and your loved ones.

Someone who hoards usually shows some or all of the following signs of the disorder:

• They have cramped and cluttered living spaces. Entire rooms or sections of the house may be piled with belongings that they don’t use.
• Their homes may not be fully functional (i.e., they can’t access their bed because their belongings are in the way).
• They may not see the problem with their clutter.
• They accumulate items no matter where they are living (even if they’re staying in someone else’s home).
• They have difficulty throwing things away, and they often become upset at the idea of throwing things away.
• There’s a buildup of food or trash, creating unsanitary living conditions.

Experts aren’t sure of the exact cause of hoarding. It’s likely a combination of different factors including personality (many people with hoarding disorder are indecisive), family history, and stressful life events such as the death of a loved one or losing possessions in a fire.

One study, for example, found that between 28% to 32% of those with ADHD experienced clinically significant hoarding. This was more common in those who had inattentive-type ADHD.

How to Remove Clutter From Your Life

The following tips can help you address the clutter in your home. But it’s just as important to pay attention to your emotional experience as you address clutter. As you may know, it’s not always as easy as simply throwing things away.

Dedicate the Time

No doubt, decluttering your entire home is a daunting task. But what if you tried breaking up your time into manageable blocks? Maybe you dedicate one hour of every weekday evening to decluttering a single section of your home.

But it could be helpful to set a goal for how long you spend on each room of your house (i.e., two weeks on the living room and three weeks on the garage). You can even invite a trusted friend or loved one to help you.

Reduce Items

Try making four piles of things: the first that you keep, the second that you give away or donate, and the third that you throw away. If you’re having trouble deciding what to do with certain items, you can put those in the fourth pile and decide at a later time.

It’s often easiest to start with items that can be thrown away, like expired food, old cosmetics, or anything that’s broken and cannot be fixed. You may need to look up some recycle centers near you to make sure you’re properly disposing of items.

Research charities and other organizations that accept donations. It can help with the anxiety you may feel as you’re parting with your possessions to realize that you’re giving things away to people who will value them.

There’s also the option of selling items that are in good condition. You can try having a yard sale, selling items online, or bringing belongings to pawn shops or thrift stores. You might be able to earn some money by selling your items, which can be an extra motivator for tidying up.

Organize

Try to organize items based on what you use every day—you’ll want those to be easily accessible, for instance, in the top drawer of your nightstand or in the kitchen cabinet you use most often.

Once again, take small steps when you organize. As you go, you can consider buying an organizing bin or storage container where it’s needed; however, be careful not to buy too many. Go back to reducing the number of items you have whenever you feel you can get rid of more. (That’s a step you’ll return to again and again when keeping a clutter-free home).

Most importantly, notice how it feels as you declutter. Are you able to appreciate the beauty of your furniture when it’s not covered with clothes? Does it feel refreshing to sit down at your desk without moving stacks of paper out of the way first?

Maintain a Clutter-Free Space

It’s just as important to maintain your decluttered home as it is to declutter it in the first place. The key is consistency. Once again, you may find it helpful to dedicate regular time to tidying up. For instance, you might spend 10 minutes at the end of each day putting things back where they belong.

Before you make future purchases, you might want to double-check that you don’t already have that item or something similar. Also, consider whether you will actually use the item. You’re not alone if you’ve purchased the latest workout equipment or a new electronic device only to have it sit in the corner collecting dust.

By being more mindful about what you bring into your home (and what you let go of), you’re honoring your space and benefitting your mental health.

Learn More About Decluttering

There are tons of TV shows, books, podcasts, and articles on decluttering. Simply start your search online and see what resources come up.

For instance, you might learn more about the Japanese art of feng shui, which has guidelines on promoting good energy flow in a room based on how you arrange furniture and belongings.

There are also plenty of tips for getting rid of digital clutter. Unsubscribing from email lists, deleting documents you no longer need, and organizing your files into folders are all useful ways of making your digital space easier to navigate.

Be Kind to Yourself

It’s natural to have thoughts like, How did I accumulate so much stuff? But try not to be too hard on yourself. Blaming or shaming yourself will not change your situation, and you’re not alone if you’re overwhelmed by the number of possessions you have. Practice self-compassion and remember, you can achieve your decluttering goals with time and patience.

For instance, after you spend an hour cleaning, maybe you sit down and watch an episode of your favorite TV show or play some music and have a solo dance party. These types of rewards can help keep you going until you overcome all of your clutter.

Seek Professional Help

If you’re finding it difficult to clear your home of clutter, know that there are mental health professionals who can help.

One type of therapy that may help is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT brings your underlying thoughts and feelings to the surface, so you and a therapist can address anything preventing you from making positive life changes. (CBT is a common treatment type for those with hoarding disorder, too).