Addicted to Retail Therapy?

Have you ever noticed that after the Christmas period, a time when you tend to be spending more money than usual, that you become a little (or a lot) addicted to shopping? I caught myself shopping without a need last weekend and it got me thinking. So I did some googling.

Shopping addiction is the compulsion to spend money, regardless of need or financial means (gulp). The addict may be addicted to certain products or they may buy anything from food, to clothes and beauty products. Medical experts believe that a compulsive shopper gets a “high” form making a purchase. Once the brain associates shopping with this “high” the addict tries to recreate it again and again. (double gulp). Oniomania is the medical term used to describe compulsive shopping.

Professor Lorrin Koran, Director of Psychiatry and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Clinic at Stanford University Medical Centre*, described compulsive shopping as a behaviour that has “serious and unpleasant consequences”. In 2001 Professor Koran was involved in one of the largest studies on compulsive shopping and her research indicated that compulsive shoppers generated large credit card debts. “Severe cases have been known to take out second mortgages on their homes, declare bankruptcy and subsequently divorce”.

This may sound a little extreme but for others some of this will ring true. So what can you do? Some tips include:

• Start a budget – be conscious of what you spend your money on
• Cut up credit cards
• Don’t go shopping when you feel down, go for a walk or to the gym. Exercise is a good distraction and can reduce stress
• Do seek professional help if you think you have a serious problem.

*Information sourced at www.pschology.org.au/publications/inpsch/shopping/