The Addiction to shopping Is the compulsion to spend money, regardless of need or financial means. The shopping addict is someone who shops compulsively and may feel that he has no control over his behavior.
While many people enjoy shopping as a treatment or recreational activity, compulsive shopping is a mental health disorder and can have serious consequences.
The Addiction to shopping Has received various names so far, such as"compulsive shopping","shopping-mania"or"shopaholic". The society in which we live is consumerist. Therefore, it is a topic of growing interest, not only because of its economic impact on the person who suffers it, but also because of the disorders that are hidden behind this addiction.
Some studies on this addiction show that a third of the citizens of the U.E. Are addicted to consumption and are serious Problems of self-control when making their purchases.
In addition, 3% have turned that addiction into pathology. These figures are aggravated among the young population, since 46% are addicted and 8% present Levels that touch the sickly.
This addiction is much more common among women aged 20-40 years. They are often self-employed women and Show dissatisfaction in relation to their sentimental life.
At least once a week, it is common for different stores and malls to run during their free time, which means that their closets are Cluttered with new or once-worn garments.
However, it is a disorder that is not yet included in psychopathology manuals, perhaps because - as various social psychologists say - We are not simply consumerists but excessive consumerists.
To better understand this disease, we will explain the main causes, symptoms and treatment components that are usually carried out in these Cases:
Main causes of shopping addiction
The causes by which people can develop addiction to shopping are very varied, including both internal psychological states - bureaucracy or discontent - as external reasons - advertising and marketing.
Rivalry and comparison with the people around us. Our needs depend on what the people around us have. In this way, if our friends buy too much or travel We will often have the feeling that we need to behave in the same way.
Messages from the media. It is no secret that we are all subjected to the power of marketing and advertising, and these exercise great power over our conduct Including consumer behavior.
Ease of payment. At present, it is enough to bring a credit card and pay for the product that we want to take home. At other times, it is very Easy to get a loan to finance our purchases. All of this makes it easy for us to buy impulsively and without reflecting too much.
Lack of expense control. A person who does not balance between his income and his expenses in a methodical way, will be more likely to waste money on products Unnecessary.
Boredom. The monotony or lack of fun in our daily lives can become a precipitating factor of shopping addiction.
Negative emotions. To experience Negative emotions , Such as sadness or anxiety, can lead people who are addicted to shopping to submit a purchase episode
Because, as we will see throughout this article, it produces a momentary state of well-being at the moment when They are acquiring new objects.
Main Symptoms of Addiction to Buy
The symptoms manifested by those addicted to shopping are numerous and varied, being in some cases similar to symptoms Presented in other addictions.
Perhaps the most prominent symptom is the excessive tension or excitement experienced just before the purchase.
As a result of the buying action, the person feels satisfied, their anxiety levels are reduced, and even an excessive euphoria.
However, such excitement often disappears quickly - even before arriving home with the new acquisitions -, so the pleasure Experienced is very ephemeral.
This constant desire to buy more and more objects, clothes or utensils, persists even when it puts at risk his work or the family economy.
After disproportionate purchases, which usually include useless or repetitive objects, people experience regrets, guilty feeling , depression Y anxiety .
Other psychological consequences caused by compulsive buying are anguish, shame or low self-esteem . All these symptoms, which produce Excessive stress can lead to diseases such as ulcer , hypertension , Deep and frequent depressions Headaches .
It is also common that there are family fights due to the waste that has been carried out by the person addicted to shopping - for that reason, usually Hide it from family and couple.
However, the only way a person with a shopping addiction knows how to stop feeling these negative feelings is to buy back-to Just as an alcoholic will most likely resort to alcohol by experiencing anxiety and sadness.
The traits that occur in the addicts to the purchases can be found in other disorders of impulse control, as in the kleptomania .
In fact, the only difference found with kleptomania is that shopkeepers pay for their purchases, so they see themselves Wrapped in debts that they can not cope with - while kleptomaniacs often have greater problems with justice, because of their behaviors Crimes.
However, in very advanced stages of shopping addiction, when the person can not get any means to pay for the products that they want Acquire, you can resort to theft - from people around you or in your own establishments.
Another characteristic symptom of this disease is the development of tolerance . As with alcohol consumption in alcoholic Addicted to shopping are progressively increasing expenses to experience the same effect.
With regard to the consciousness of disease, we find that these people are aware of the problem they present, although sometimes they can deceive themselves Themselves.
When they stop to think about it, they know their closets are full. However, once in the store, they tell themselves that they are acquiring objects and Garments very useful and really need.
As you can imagine, all these symptoms that the addicts present to the purchases cause them an intense discomfort in their daily life, as well as the People around you.
Being an addiction, the person is involved in a vicious circle from which he does not know how to escape, so he usually needs help from a professional To implement an effective treatment.
Treating Addiction to Shopping
It is advisable that this type of therapy is carried out by a professional specialized in addictions, who knows how to apply the most Appropriate to each person, depending on the stage in which the disease is and their personal characteristics.
There are different scales and tests that have been specifically created to diagnose this addiction, such as:
- Compulsive shopping scale Of Valence, d'Astous and Fortier.
- Compulsive shopping scale By Edwards.
- Shopping Addiction Test (Echeburúa, Corral and Amor).
With regard to the fundamental aspects to be dealt with in this disorder, we can highlight the following:
1. Stimulus control
This includes restrictions on the person who is addicted to shopping, to reduce the likelihood of falling into their addictive habit.
Within this section, the following modifications have to be carried out:
Decrease your daily budget . The person must leave the house with a reduced daily budget and in cash, that will be adapted to the anticipated expenses (for the food, means of Transportation, etc.).
Avoid shopping areas and shopping centers . The addict to the purchases must modify his route until the work or the center of studies with the aim of avoiding any stimulus that Precipitate a new episode of compulsive shopping - such as shops, malls, etc.
Alert shops and small businesses about your addiction . Sometimes people leave money"spun"in small shops, when they know the owner or shop clerk. To prevent the person Addicted to this option to satisfy their uncontrollable desires, you should be warned in advance so that they do not sell you anything - just like the Gambling addicts can ask casinos not to allow them to enter.
2. Addressing your economic problems
So that the therapy has the desired effect and the person stops experiencing negative feelings - which can lead to an end to shopping Uncontrollable, it is important that you face your debts, reducing the money to the maximum and returning objects to the stores - if the Return is still valid and in case the objects have not been used.
It is necessary to take stock of all debts owned by the person, including the money they have borrowed or extracted from others.
This is a fundamental but very delicate aspect of the treatment. The person must commit himself and others to break the circle Vicious in which she has been involved.
Due to the difficulty involved, the first few days or weeks can be established that the person is accompanied by a friend or family member when leaving Home in their spare time - especially if there are signs of significant anxiety or depression.
Once the debts are paid, sometimes it is opted to break the credit cards, since, as we mentioned at the beginning of the article, they can be used Easily and immediately, so that the person can again lose control of their accounts and relapse into addiction.
During the following months, cash and small amounts will be used at all times, so that if the person has a need Imperious to acquire an object, can not do it.
3. Live exposure
Once treatment is advanced, it will be necessary for the person to learn to buy in a controlled and adaptive way, since it is a Conduct that is not harmful when you have control over it.
In addition, the addict to the purchases has to be exposed to the anxiety that causes him to frequent stores and not to acquire any new clothes.
To carry out this exhibition, the person must be accompanied, in the first occasions, to high-risk sites, such as shopping centers.
One way of proceeding is to establish a gradual scale of exposure, where each day a different task is performed. An example of exposure scale Could be as follows:
Pass in front of a mall.
Look at a shop window for 15 minutes.
Enter a store and see clothes for 10 minutes.
Enter a store and try on 2 clothes - without buying anything.
In this way, the person is acquiring greater self-control over his compulsive behavior.
4. Cognitive treatment
Another important aspect that must be present in therapy is the Change of beliefs Irrational nature of the person who suffers from shopping addiction, Which normally present overvalued ideas regarding the possession of material objects.
For starters, it is important for the person to be aware that behind their addiction are hiding different problems that are hiding or masking.
Sometimes it is a sentimental vacuum, dissatisfaction with your partner or with your job.
Therefore, it is necessary to detect the affected areas of your life so that you can solve them and increase your Emotional well-being In a different way -in Instead of looking for happiness through shopping.
Another key aspect to be improved in these cases is the self esteem , Which is generally very affected, since the person has been learning to Valuing oneself and others in terms of material possessions, rather than appreciating the skills and qualities they possess.
To increase personal self-esteem, it may be suggested to start some new activity to be done in your free time -acute to Dance classes , Languages, any sport , etc.-.
In this way, in addition to boosting their self-esteem, it prevents the person from being bored for long periods of time - which, remember, is a Factor precipitating the episode of compulsive shopping.
Of course, other disorders secondary to this addiction, such as the aforementioned symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, should also be treated.
The fundamental objective of the therapy will be to restructure the life of the person so that he can manage his own internal states in a way Adaptive, leaving aside the maladaptive habits used so far.
And have you been addicted to shopping? What have you done to overcome it?
References
- Cia, A.H. (2014). Non-substance addictions (DSM-5, APA, 2013): a first step towards the inclusion of Behavioral Addictions in Classifications. Journal of Neuro-Psychiatry , 76 (4), 210.
- Del Río, F. P. (2011). Addictions without substance in the last 40 years. North Mental Health , Referring to Fig. (40).
- Minz, F.M., Segal, H.D., & Quintero, J. (2015). Protocol of treatment of addictions without psychoactive substance. Medicine-Accredited Continuing Medical Education Program , eleven (86), 5157-5160.
- PELLICER, M. C. L. (2006). ADDITION TO PURCHASES. EDITORIAL , 81.