Is sever clutter in my home related to bipolar disorder?

I've always had trouble with clutter. When I was kid, we had these types of school desks that had a top with hinges so we could put our books in there. Many kids keep their desk insides neat. Mine were just stuff tossed in there. My sister, who is 6 years younger than me, and we shared a bedroom. Her side was neat and perfect. My side, a the foot of my bed, was a pile of clothes. Poor sister! It got to the point where we drew an imaginary line down the middle of the room, between where our two beds were (against the opposite walls, if you see what I mean.) I was demanded by my sister that none of my clutter/stuff dare cross that line onto her side of the room. It was sort of a joke,but she meant it,and I honored her directive.

This type of clutter behavior has been with me all my life. I keep neat and organized drawers, closets, kitchen cupboards and frig, office supplies and the like, in good order. The lived- in, visible parts of the apartment are cluttered.

Now I have help. I have a cleaning woman 2 hours a week, and a general helper 2 hours a week. Before I got help, my apartment was a complee disaster. I moved 8 boxes of paperwork from my old apt. to this one, and then in the new apt. I got a helper. It took us at least 2 years to sort through it all. My fear was that I might have tossed in some important personal papers.

I am not a hoarder. I'm a clutterer. There's a big difference.

For me, clutter tends to build up pretty rapidly, I think because when I clean or even tidy up, I do it hardcore. Like, when I start really cleaning I'll easily spend 4+ hours straight cleaning and disinfecting and tidying things, because I want the whole apartment to look perfect (when I found out my grandma died I literally cleaned for 12 hours straight I don't even know how that is possible). So I generally ignore mess and clutter for a week or two because I can't afford to spend so much time on it, and I'm able to ignore it, just can't (or don't want) to stop once I start. I hope that made sense. I'm glad you have help with it now!

I don't know if it's BP or what but I have always been a clutterer. Unfortunately I also have hoarder tendencies.

Organization is not my strong suit.

I think the clutter is just a by-product of our being accumulators who organize selectively and/or maybe only when justified, demanded or necessary. I have my semi-organized "computer corner" (computers and parts) that appears cluttered, and I really do want to "clean it up" since it is actually part of the living room. But since it is impossible for me to know which components might yet ever be needed or usable by myself or anyone else, and since my wife is not complaining or even asking, the part about "only when justified, demanded or necessary" keeps things as they are for now.

In my case, I think pain and fatigue have a huge impact upon my ability to carry through as I'd like to in my life.


WC

Would you say this is severe? Does this approach some level of hoarding? The act of accumulating things, reluctance to rid ourselves of items that are meaningful to us, and live a cluttered life are, I understand, indicators of possible mental health issures. I have read that, like OCD, these are coping mechanisms for Anxiety. It stems from having the need to be in control of something - allowing things to get cluttered can be said to be a form of control.

We have discussed this in my mood disorder support group. The idea that living with clutter might also be a form of 'self medicating' our BP and Anxiety was suggested by several of those in such a situation. Some people sooth themselves with substance addictions, some soothe themselves with things.

I'm terrible at keeping things uncluttered.
My husband likes the model home look. Absolutely nothing around. Just tv remote in the living room and a flower arrangement.

I don't think it can be attributed to bipolar disorder though because I like things neat like the model home look. My Mother was a clutter person and after I got on my own I swore I'd never live like that.

Yes, same here...and then last time I did some "cleanup" and threw some things away I ended up needing some of that stuff just a few days later!

And yes I think it's bipolar in part.
I get to where I don't want to touch anything. I feel overwhelmed.

Our apartment got really bad over the ladt two years, I've been fighting severe depression and now that I'm having more good days than bad I'm trying to get things together, it's been overwhelming but little by little it's coming together. I've got most of the clutter off the kitchen table and living room area....bedrooms and closets are next.

I'm a messy god damn person. my desk (where I work) is the worst part of my house, followed by the kitchen, and my bedroom. but I can live with a mess no problem. I think its more due to the ADD / ADHD than BP. I know plenty of BP people who can keep a neat home. but the other kids in school with the attention problems were always the ones with the messy desks and messy lockers.

It might be bipolar related. When manic I accumulate stuff....I clean and organize it but then depression hits and it falls into disarray and I get so overwhelmed by it all. I like the model home look with a few cute nick knacks here and there.....I just have too much stuff. We need to do another big clean out and donation again. I'm far to sick to clean like I used to and it was a major psychological sore spot for me for years. For better or worse I've excepted it now. People who live in tidy homes are no better than those who live with clutter. Some really nice people live in clutter while some neat freaks are upright and rude.....and vice versus. How tidy I am does not determine my kindness or worth. I do want my physical pain to leave so I can have a tidier house in the future....because it does effect my mood. But I don't judge myself as harshly as I used to. (((Hugs)))

I was once shocked when I visited and saw the clutter and even filth in the home of one of the finest, well-dressed and well-groomed people I have ever met. His explanation (although I had only asked indirectly) was that the place was only temporary after his house had been lost in a fire, but he had been there for a few years at that time.

I don't think my clutter is due to BP. I have physical issues with my back and feet. We also have a big townhouse.

I don't blame my mess on BP. I'm just comfortable in a mess. Always have been. Always will be.

Flowerbells, from what you describe, it doesn't seem like it's BP at play. Why? Because you say it has been a constant all your life. If it were BP-related, it would wax and wane episodically, yes?

My mother's a straight-up hoarder. I swore the same as you.
Behold! For I am the Anti-Hoarder! Lol.

I wish that meant my place were awesomely neat. It's not. It fluctuates a LOT. (Similar to what Duckrabbit describes with cycles of buildup and extreme cleaning.)

But it's complicared by other factors too. Like what st0psign says about attention issues -- that's a +/- for me. Pile up, yes. But a major coping strategy is putting things immediately and always in the same place.

Tidying and cleaning is pretty compulsively driven for me. Either by hypo/manic energy or by anxiety (I care way out of proportion to reality. Not only is it to do with nervous energy outlet, but that uncluttered gives a sense of serenity. Chaos skyrockets my anxiety.

Hypo/mania might go super clean. Or might be a big mess with a zillion differents projects going. (Acquisition excess could contribute to mess too.)

But when depressed, whatever, wherever, couldn't care.

Physical issues have also become very frustrating in maintaining the way I'd like to anymore. Boo hiss.

It's complicated. Not consistent at all.

I can not handle clutter at all, not a bit.

My brain feels scrambled the majority of the time. So my home has to be " in order" I can not go to sleep if there is a single dish in the sink, I've been known to cleans the walls. It's a OCD control issue.

I have chronic pain, yet I can't slow down. I suck at the pacing myself despite the pain.

Did I mention my husband likes to keep lots of things ? Drives me bonkers, it's all needed and reasonable things but o m g !

I have been working towards minimalism.

This is me. But I do love throwing out/donating. I prefer a tidy house but depression sometimes has other plans.

My place is semi tidy. Get pin neat when important people visit. Tomorrow I will clean the kitchen and tidy the living room. I live with kids- what can I say? If I picked up everything they messed up all the time id go nuts. Time for them to clean!

I'm a minimalist and my husband wants to keep everything. We butt heads a bit. I tend to accumulate clutter when I'm depressed or having problems with neck pain. Time passes, I get a little hypo and clean up. Rinse repeat.

Not sure if it's BP related, but part of me does blame BP. I've become very 'lazy' to a point I just don't seem to care about my apartment. I live alone so it's only me that has to live with it. I've never been as bad as I have in the last year since my depression started to get worse again. I felt bad a few weeks ago when my mom was in town after I got discharged from the hospital. She started cleaning, just trying to be helpful because she knows I've been struggling. I snapped at her and asked her to stop. She just kept going. I wish I had more motivation to keep things neat and tidy.

I prefer a tidy house, but I have a very messy kid with ADHD. So my house is usually a wreck. My mess is usually paperwork piled everywhere. I never get to it by the time I clean up the kid stuff. My house gets real bad when I get in depression. Takes me forever to dig back out.

For paperwork I buy these portable file folders from Office Depot.
Then label them -bank statement,credit card statements. Ect. All my bills are automatically paid thru checking account. I've had it that way for over 25 yrs. it's so much better. No stamps. No writing checks. Just double check bank statement. Then put it in the portable file folder.