Are You a Compulsive Shopper? Health Article

These days, shopping is as much a form of entertainment as going to the movies or playing video games. Between mall culture and convenient credit, it's easy to spend time spending money.

Shopping shifts into high gear around the holidays. Some people view shopping as a sport, some as a chore. For others, the season is just another occasion to wrestle with compulsive buying -- especially if they're stressed or depressed.

For these folks, the mere thought of visiting a store any time of year can ease anxiety. The obsessive, uncontrollable act of shopping, even without buying, offers them fleeting excitement. Once home, compulsive shoppers who do buy often feel remorse, with maxed-out credit cards.

"Our best estimate is that approximately 1.6 percent of the American population are compulsive buyers," says Ron Faber, Ph.D., with the Association of Consumer Research in Minneapolis. "Generally, they are people prone toward low self-esteem, anxiety and depression, as well as fantasizing, perfectionism and lack of sufficient social contacts," he says. Shopping offers them "contact with salespeople, the successful bargain hunt or a sense of power by being able to buy."

Who's affected?

Compulsive buyers include men and women of any ethnic, social or economic group and age, with growing prevalence among teens and young adults. "At least 60 percent of kids have credit cards, yet they haven't been taught much about managing money," says April Benson, Ph.D., editor of the book I Shop, Therefore I Am: Compulsive Buying and the Search for Self and a member of the board of directors of the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy in New York City.

Easy credit and media emphasis on wealth lead many people to believe they deserve to spend money, even if they don't have it. Add the endless buying opportunities provided by television shopping networks and the Web, "and you've got a culture that condones and rewards people for shopping," says Dr. Benson.

Many compulsive buyers shop not necessarily for things they want or need, but to fulfill much deeper emotional needs. "Whether a symptom of a larger problem or a disorder in itself, what underlies compulsive buying is often an internal void that the person is trying to fill," she says.

The price tag

When they shop, compulsive shoppers get smiles from sales clerks and feel successful for spending. But those feelings don't last. Compulsive buyers with high debt can face financial, relationship and legal problems. This makes them feel so bad they go shopping again -- and the cycle continues.

It's a cycle that can end, says Michael Guiry, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Business, State University of New York at New Paltz. "First, the person has to recognize that he has a problem and want to stop. Then, he's got to take positive action to modify the behavior and get to the root of the problem."

Adds Dr. Benson, "There are always other, more constructive ways to meet the needs that motivate you, in the first place, to walk into that store. Compulsive buyers have to take stock of themselves and ask, 'What am I really shopping for?'"

Are you a compulsive buyer?

These are signs of compulsive shopping:

• You think more than you want to about shopping.

• You prefer to shop alone to avoid embarrassment or distraction.

• You shop for longer time periods than you intended.

• You buy more than you planned.

• You buy things you don't need or want.

• You hide what you buy, to avoid conflicts at home.

Stopping the shopping

Here are ideas on how to end compulsive buying:

• Admit that you have a problem.

• Seek professional therapy

• Join Debtors Anonymous or another self-help group.

• Seek professional therapy.

• Destroy your credit cards or leave them home.

• Stay away from stores that tempt you.

• Shop with a friend who'll limit impulsive buying.

• Decide what you want to buy before you go.

• Avoid shopping after upsetting events or while you feel emotions that fuel compulsive shopping.

• Find more constructive ways to deal with negative emotions. Take an art class, for instance, or go for a hike.