A compulsive buying disorder, also called a shopping frenzy, is the internal compulsion to shop constantly. Affected individuals suffer from loss of control, withdrawal symptoms, and debt. Compulsive buying is thought to have psychosocial causes and can only be treated through psychotherapy.
What is compulsive buying?
Compulsive buying is the name given to a psychological disorder of consumers. Affected individuals suffer from a constant, recurring urge to buy products. The compulsion leads to multiple purchases because the sufferer has no control over his or her behavior. The items purchased are usually not needed. The act of actually buying is the focus of the compulsion. It releases the inner tension and provides satisfaction. This state distinguishes a compulsion to buy from a temporary buying frenzy of clinically healthy consumers. The senselessness of buying is conscious to the affected person. Nevertheless, the urge to buy cannot be resisted. If the urge is suppressed, withdrawal symptoms occur.
Causes
There are many causes for a compulsion to buy. The compulsion may be a valve for other problems. For example, when the affected person consoles himself about family or professional problems by buying items. This consoling represents a satisfying situation that makes the consumer feel good. The affected person can transfer this behavior into his everyday life. Consequently, with each buying situation there will be a momentary gratification that can become a compulsion. Another cause can be depression and anxiety disorders. In order to get affection, sufferers shop immoderately. The purchased items are then given away. Affected persons hope for relief from their depressive moods. Mental trauma can also be a trigger for compulsive buying. Neglect or overprotection by parents can cause the compulsion. In addition, sexual abuse in childhood can be a cause of the compulsive disorder. In Germany, 9 percent of the population is addicted to shopping. Of those affected, 60 percent are women. The compulsion is independent of social class.
Symptoms, complaints and signs
Symptoms of compulsive buying include loss of control over one’s own buying behavior. This is because the person affected buys items indiscriminately. In addition, there is a compulsion to repeat shopping trips. While initially one shopping spree satisfied the compulsion, the number is soon no longer sufficient. Therefore, the increase of the shopping dose is also one of the complaints of a compulsion to buy. In addition, there are withdrawal symptoms such as trembling, depression, inner restlessness and sweating. Feelings of guilt are also among the symptoms. In addition to physical discomfort, compulsive buying also causes other problems. Affected people spend large amounts of money due to compulsive buying. This can lead to debts and insolvency. Even the relationship can suffer from the inner, pathological compulsion. Finally, problems at work are also a symptom of compulsive buying.
Diagnosis and course of the disease
A compulsion to buy has a typical disease course. It resembles impulse actions, but from a psychiatric point of view it does not count as one of them. The compulsion to buy arises in the psyche of the affected person. There is an inner urge that grows over time. Who suffers from a purchase compulsion becomes restless and nervous. The inner pressure causes the consumer to become tense. If the pressure is no longer withstood, indiscriminate and immoderate purchases are made. Items are bought that are not needed. Therefore, many purchased things are not even unpacked and hoarded. There is the danger of developing a Messie syndrome. Satisfying the urge is important for the compulsion to buy. Through the act of buying, the inner tension is released and gives way to a feeling of happiness. Affected individuals are excessively euphoric. However, this state does not last long. This is typical of compulsive buying. A brief satisfaction of the inner pressure is followed by a rapid, renewed increase in tension. The compulsion to buy often occurs in spurts. In one phase, the sufferer’s urge is small and bearable. During this time, the sufferer can live normally. If a buying spurt occurs, the compulsion has control over the sufferer. In the advanced stage, the compulsion is barely controllable.
Complications
The most serious complications that can affect a person with compulsive buying are social and financial.Thus, the impulse-driven purchase of things, which also become increasingly expensive depending on the severity and duration of the shopping addiction, not infrequently leads to impoverishment of those affected. In extreme cases, social life and other areas of personal life are adapted to the financial dependencies, and those affected find and in some cases develop ways of obtaining further funds. Over-indebtedness through loans – also in the private sphere – is accepted and in some cases those affected also go over to stealing goods. Since these are the financial late effects, they can have legal consequences even after treatment for shopping addiction has begun. Even when sufferers succeed in curbing their impulsive buying behavior, they face debt and, in many cases, social isolation. To make matters worse, shopping addiction is not a strictly classified disease, which makes it difficult for sufferers to seek help. The spiral of depression and the short-lived feeling of happiness from shopping intensifies over the years. In addition, as with all addictions, oniomania can relapse despite treatment. Complete abstinence from consumption is not feasible for most people.
When should you see a doctor?
People who suffer from obsessive-compulsive behavior should, in principle, seek therapeutic help. In the case of obsessive thoughts that can no longer be controlled by the affected person, there is cause for concern. If the symptoms persist or increase, a doctor is needed. If there are considerable impairments in everyday life as a result of the compulsive buying, consultation with a doctor is recommended. If the usual obligations can no longer be fulfilled, if family or professional tasks are neglected, or if the person concerned feels a sense of suffering, a visit to the doctor is required. In many cases, compulsive buying leads to heavy financial indebtedness; this should be a warning sign for every affected person or close relative. An almost daily consumption of items that lead to no use should be discussed with a trusted person as well as a doctor or therapist. If an omitted purchase leads to withdrawal symptoms, this is alarming. If the affected person experiences increased stress, sweating, inner restlessness or falls into aggressive behavior in these cases, he needs help. If he experiences short-term relief during a subsequent purchase of items, only to lapse again into a frantic bustle and search for new consumer goods, a doctor should be consulted.
Treatment and therapy
To cope with the compulsion to buy independently and without outside help is very difficult. The first thing the sufferer must do is admit to his compulsion. The compulsion to buy can only be managed if the causes are known. Psychotherapeutic support makes sense. Together with a psychotherapist, it must be clarified what the affected person wants to compensate with his purchase. There is no specific therapy for compulsive buying yet, but an overall psychotherapeutic treatment for mental disorders alleviates the symptoms. Instead of buying, the sufferer must find a new, harmless outlet for his urge. Sufferers can also attend a self-help group. There, sufferers can exchange ideas and learn from each other. Drug treatment for shopping addiction is not common in Germany.
Outlook and prognosis
In most cases, people suffering from compulsive buying have an unfavorable prognosis if they do not seek psychotherapeutic treatment. Without adequate support, the symptoms are likely to increase. In most cases, criminal developments and ultimately delinquency occur. Even if the change in living conditions deliberately deprives the person of access to the Internet, sources of money or other elements of sustenance, the affected person often procures unimagined opportunities to nevertheless satisfy his or her spending spree. Only a few of those affected manage, with strong inner discipline and a stable environment, to free themselves from a compulsion to buy under their own steam. This depends on the existing personality of the affected person as well as the bonding ability to a close person.The majority of all sufferers experience a stable and sufficient improvement in OCD as soon as they work specifically on the problem with a therapist. A foundation is laid in treatment that enables the sufferer to understand their own behavior and make behavioral changes. The changes come gradually and in close collaboration between the sufferer and the therapist. Without the patient’s cooperation, the chances of success diminish. Provided there is insight and a desire to change, there is a good chance of recovery.
Prevention
To prevent compulsive buying, emotional balance is important. Prevention also includes returning all credit cards. Affected individuals should always pay with cash only. This makes it clear how much money has been spent and when the wallet is empty. If a compulsion to buy is known, closing sales and special sales should be avoided. The unpacked and unnecessary products that have already been purchased should be visibly distributed around the home. These items can be cataloged using a list and carried in the bag. If a phase of compulsive buying occurs, the packed apartment and the long list can have a deterrent effect.
Aftercare
Patients who have been diagnosed with compulsive buying and successfully treated must undergo steady measures of aftercare. Because compulsive buying is considered a mental illness, no final cure is assured. Instead, there is a constant danger that the seemingly cured person will fall back into old, pathological behavior patterns. This happens in particular as a result of external stress factors, such as difficult life situations or strokes of fate. It is therefore the responsibility of those affected to observe and question their behavior self-critically. As soon as tendencies for a relapse into compulsive buying become apparent, the persons should give in immediately. They can, for example, turn to their psychotherapist for follow-up sessions. This involves analyzing the current stress factors and life situation and preventing a relapse. Some sufferers also benefit from attending aftercare support groups. Through contact with other former sufferers, individuals can take a more self-critical and detached view of their behavior and better control relapsed actions. In order to keep people permanently stable after a therapeutic compulsive buying disorder, behavioral therapy is also useful, which is continued for some time after the pathological behavior has ceased. Such aftercare measures stabilize the patient’s mental state and reduce the risk of relapse into the old compulsive behavior.
Here’s what you can do yourself
Compulsive buying as an impulse control disorder is treated by the affected person himself on his own as a complementary measure when he realizes the problem. Here measures are applied, which are worked out in the context of a talk therapy (group therapy, self-help group or therapeutic individual conversation). A cornerstone of self-help is also to refrain from paying with cash cards. The mere use of cash already has an effect, as it makes people more aware of how to handle money, thus revealing financial limits more quickly and providing a little more incentive to reconsider purchasing decisions. Since the compulsion to buy usually also has a psychological impact, it makes sense for those affected to look for an activity or a social environment in which they gain recognition and success. These can be hobbies, sports and many other things. According to the assumption that compulsive buying also serves to suppress negative emotions, positive experiences can prevent the emergence of precisely these thoughts. A corresponding therapeutic approach has proven to be effective: Finding substitute actions reduces the need for impulsive buying. Accordingly, switching to a regular and satisfying occupation is to be forced by sufferers and is doubly effective. In addition, sufferers should keep track of the objects they have bought senselessly and place them in the home as a reminder. A list kept with them can also protect against buying such a thing again.
