Compulsive spending
From Drug Rehab Wiki
Compulsive spending means the same as compulsive shopping, compulsive buying, shopping addiction, or oniomania. All these words and terms refer a condition people have when they are feel compelled to buy things, even when they cannot afford them or do not need them. These terms date back over a hundred years, and they are not terms that doctors use.
However. some medical authorities believe that compulsive spending may be a form of addictive behavior and should be recognized as a mental illness. Compulsive spending is linked to impulse-control disorders, and many doctors believe that it could be diagnosed as an "Impulse-control disorder, non-specified" as defined in the reference they use to diagnose illnesses, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It may that people who cannot control their shopping are being rewarded with a "high" or feelings of euphoria similar to the ones sought out by drug addicts. Studies have found that 28% to 46% of people with shopping problems also have problems with alcohol; 13% to 20% are substance abusers, and 10% to 13% struggle with compulsive sex.
Many people who are compulsive spenders often suffer from other mental illnesses, particularly depression and anxiety. The theory is that they go shopping to feel better.
Some people with bipolar disorder go on shopping sprees during the manic phase of their illnesses. It is also linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder in that compulsive shoppers will keep thinking about shopping in an out-of-control way until they go do it.
Compulsive shopping is also linked to eating disorders. Many people with eating disorders are obsessed about their looks and body images, and this leads to buying clothes, work-out equipment, and so forth. Anorexics often shop as a form of "self-nurture" because they do not allow themselves to be nurtured by food. Bulimics often have traits of daring and impulsivity, which in turn can make it hard for them to control their shopping.
Therefore, compulsive shopping can actually be a symptom of a mental illness. Most of these are treatable with drugs like anti-depressants, anxiolytics, and mood stabilizers.
There are support groups for compulsive shoppers. These groups help them deal with negative emotions, such as guilt, regret and feelings of being out-of-control as well as their debt issues. Compulsive shoppers, like pathological gamblers, often run up credit cards and other bills to the point where they and their families suffer financial hardship.
