What is Compulsive Shopping or Shopping Addiction?
Compulsive shopping or shopping addiction is a strong tendency of chronic and repetitive buying which becomes impossible to halt and eventually leads to financial and personal destruction.
The people suffering chronically with compulsive shopping or shopping addiction i.e., the result of pattern disorder and being shopaholic becomes hard to control and that is why they have to come across worse conditions in financial as well as work life. It is the result of impulse control disorder and is quite similar to other addictive disorders in features. The addictive possibility to spend money or to do shopping increases due to many social as well as cultural factors.
Since the beginning of credit cards, people get encouraged to pile up possessions without worrying about financial responsibility just for the sake of material focus in society. It has become easier to go for shopping through online shopping websites besides TVs broadcasting 24 hours a day advertisements of the products.
Besides being excessive, compulsive shopping or shopping addiction is inappropriate and out of control. One is unable to control their impulses as it happens in other addictions. Shopping has been running in our culture in America; so often, the impulsiveness turns out to be compulsive shopping or shopping addiction.
Also known as Oniomania or Shopaholism or Compulsive Buying Disorder (CBD), the compulsive shopping or shopping addiction makes a person suffer from havocked conditions of life, finance and so of family.
The causes for addictive behaviors, like compulsive shopping or shopping addiction, gambling, alcoholism, and drug abuse are not known. Suggested by some new evidence, some people, around 10 to 15 percent, have genetic inclination to an addictive behavior, with circumstances under which the particular behavior gets higher, but not known why.
These compulsive shopping or shopping addiction victims need professional counseling to deal with this hazard. Addictive behaviors tend to cluster, so if you have a problem with gambling or alcohol or drugs, or an eating disorder, you can be a possible victim for compulsive shopping or shopping addiction. Many counseling centers will also help with compulsive shopping or shopping addiction.
Who Can be a Compulsive Shopper?
Of the U.S. population, approximately six percent suffers from compulsive shopping or shopping addiction. Where as many people enjoy it and they treat shopping as a recreational activity, compulsive shopping or shopping addiction is a mental health disorder it causes severe consequences for the shopping addict.
A victim of compulsive shopping or shopping addiction is one who shops under a compulsion and feels like they cannot control their behavior.
Types of Compulsive Shopping or Shopping Addiction
There are various types of compulsive shopping or shopping addiction according to shopaholics anonymous, and they are as follows:
- Compulsive shopping or shopping addiction victims who shop when they feel emotionally upset.
- Trophy compulsive shopping or shopping addiction sufferers always shop for the perfect item.
- Compulsive shopping or shopping addiction patients who desire the image to be a major spender.
- Bargain compulsive shopping or shopping addiction victims who buy only because they are on sale.
- Bulimic compulsive shopping or shopping addiction patients who are in habit of buying & returning
- Collectors who feel incomplete without having one item in every set or each color.
Compulsive Shopping or Shopping Addiction Vs. Normal Shopping
The difference between normal shopping and compulsive shopping or shopping addiction is that compulsive shopping or shopping addiction becomes a person’s way of coping with stress, anxiety, other blocked emotions and further they shop excessively even while they are having a negative impact on other aspects of their life. Just like in other addictions relationships are damaged with loss of finance. Even then the victims of compulsive shopping or shopping addiction are unable to stop or to control their spending.
The Controversy of Compulsive Shopping or Shopping Addiction
Compulsive shopping or shopping addiction is also a controversial idea. Many experts think that to spend excessively is an addiction. They also believe that there might be a psychoactive substance generating symptoms like physical tolerance or withdrawal.
Some professionals disagree about whether the compulsive shopping or shopping addiction should be considered an impulse control disorder, mood disorder (depression), an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), kleptomania, or behavioral addiction, gambling disorder.
How Can You Tell If You have Compulsive Shopping or Shopping Addiction?
Just like any other addiction, the victims of compulsive shopping or shopping addiction also buy to get away from emotions and stress/ anxiety and also they get a “high” when they are buying. Women are affected more than men. They buy things they may not need often. Holiday seasons trigger shopping among those who are good the rest of the year. Many shopping addicts may be compulsive about purchasing certain items, such as clothing, kitchen items or shoes; some buy anything.
Women with compulsive shopping or shopping addiction often go to a shopping mall in a plan to buy one or two items but come home with fully stuffed bags. In some cases, they have a “black out” and forget that they purchased so many items. If the family complains about their purchases, they hide the things they buy. A sufferer of compulsive shopping or shopping addiction often deny about the problem for they cannot pay their bills, they have collection agencies attempting to get what is owed, their credit rating suffers, may have social, legal and relationship problems. They often try to hide their problem by going for an extra job to pay their bills.
Also Read: