Miss Shopaholism ...

I'm Gonna Buy Something Now:

When The Shopping Frenzy Becomes A Permanent Condition

(Fight Shopping Addiction)

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Fighting shopping addiction: What to do when shopping becomes addiction?

Forced to spend money: Psychological causes

Lack of self-esteem

Strokes of fate

Occurrence with other diseases

Hormones as cause

The compulsion to shop: Symptoms of shopping addiction

Characteristics of buying addiction

Withdrawal symptoms

Differences in purchasing behaviour

Getting a shopping addiction under control: How to combat shopping addiction?

Insight into buying addiction itself

Shopping addiction is an addictive disorder

First aid for buying addiction: How shopaholics learn to control themselves

First aid measures

Debt due to buying addiction

Outpatient behavioural therapy

Self-help groups

The first important step in the fight against buying addiction is the insight that

Fighting shopping addiction: What to do when shopping becomes addiction?

For most people, shopping is an everyday activity that is associated with either fun or stress and serves the purchase of goods and products. Usually the motivation behind the purchase of a certain product is mostly the necessity to need it. This applies, for example, above all to food, but also to clothing. Entertainment products such as televisions and books are not vital, but are socially recognized as part of everyday necessities.

As a rule, people often buy more products than they actually need. The phenomenon can often be observed in women who buy more clothes than they actually need on so-called shopping tours. This behaviour is in most cases completely unproblematic and is even demanded and promoted by society. It is not for nothing that today's society can be characterized as a consumer society. However, those who begin to compulsively purchase goods in the knowledge that they do not need them at all and thereby exceed their financial limits suffer from a buying addiction.

Buying addiction is referred to in specialist circles as oniomania, the buying delusion, but compulsive buying behaviour, compulsive buying, pathological buying addiction or the colloquial buying frenzy are terms for a buying behaviour exceeding the normal level. The phenomenon of pathological buying madness has been described for over 100 years. However, this clinical picture has not yet been fully addressed and scientific research has so far only been carried out on a small scale. The ICD (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems), the reference work for mental disorders, does not list shopping addiction. The very terms that are used synonymously for compulsive shopping behaviour clearly indicate that shopping addiction has not yet been clearly classified. It is well known that the competent authorities do not work quickly, and it was not until 1968, for example, that the Federal Social Court recognised alcoholism as a disease.

Therefore, shopping addiction is not a recognized mental disorder in Germany to this day. From a medical point of view, it is counted as a non-substance-related dependency, impulse control disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder. If a physician is forced to name shopping addiction as a diagnosis, he must in most cases select the ICD code F63.9 "unspecified abnormal habits and impulse control disorders". These impulse control disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders also include gambling addiction and kleptomania. In the case of an impulse control disorder, those affected are not in a position to withstand an impulse and give in to it in awareness of possible negative consequences. In Germany, it is estimated that 5 % of the population suffer from shopping addiction. How high the number of unreported cases is, however, is not known. Similarly, the group of people at risk of shopping addiction is not included in these censuses. The lack of concrete diagnostic criteria due to the lack of classification in the health care system makes it even more difficult to obtain a truly transparent number of those actually affected.

If you or an acquaintance, family member or friend suffers from buying addiction, this guide will tell you, among other things, what causes are responsible for buying addiction, how you can recognise buying addiction and how you can actively take action against it.

The shopping opportunities in the 21st century tempt many people to overconsume all kinds of goods. Shopping centres that are often open into the evening hours and advertising brochures and advertisements on every corner. In addition, bargains and sales are supposed to suggest that there is a unique opportunity that should not be missed. Shopping possibilities in the internet are still the cherry on the cream. Purchased with one click and already at home the next day. Advertising and marketing ensure that certain products promise to lead a happy and fulfilling life with exactly this purchase. Advertising is aimed at demonstrating the compelling social and psychological necessity of a particular product. The frequently used phrase "you have to treat yourself to something" is almost an absolution, why many people afford things with a clear conscience, which they neither need nor meet their financial budget. If the social media and television also show a reality in which living standards marked by luxury and expensive products belong to normality, many people feel excluded and their self-esteem diminishes. The assumption that one does not belong to society because this standard of living cannot be imitated quickly leads to ignorance of one's own financial limits. It is completely forgotten that the standards of living portrayed in the media rarely correspond to reality. Numerous unconsciously conveyed slogans or marketing campaigns in everyday life convey the message that shopping helps in every situation. What is for most people a nice change and deserved distraction, can quickly become a trap for psychologically attacked people.

Usually it is not a problem to regulate your buying behaviour accordingly and to have an awareness of whether this product is really necessary and to consciously encourage advertising to buy. Of course, everyone has bought something they knew was unnecessary when they bought it, but it may have been outrageously cheap or so fascinating and beautiful that you have to have it. At the latest, when the financial means are no longer sufficient, reason wins and further purchases are broken off - albeit with a heavy heart.

Buying addicts lack this feeling of whether they really need something. Even financial limits can be skilfully ignored. They act compulsively and experience an unbearable urge to buy something. At the beginning of this disease, there are always personal problems that are intended to distract from the addiction to shopping. Those affected are not addicted to a particular product or merchandise, but rather to the feeling that buying from them triggers it. Particularly fatal: In a consumer-oriented society, shopping addiction remains undiscovered for a long time, not least because those affected can hide their addiction for a long time. Shopping addiction is so easy to exercise, it can be hidden because it is socially recognized. The inhibitions like with drugs or alcohol, which are already stigmatized by society, are completely eliminated with shopping addiction.

Forced to spend money: Psychological causes

Despite the fact that shopping addiction is not listed as a mental illness in its own right, it should be taken seriously and should never be trivialised. Thus it is based on psychological causes that indicate the urgent need for treatment. It is not scientifically clear whether buying addiction is an impulse control disorder or an obsessive-compulsive disorder. Even the question of whether there is a real addiction could still not be answered from the perspective of science, although buying addiction fulfils numerous criteria of behavioural addiction. In doing so, shopping addiction can affect anyone and does not stop at social status or educational level. Both a nurse and a successful senior physician can be affected.

Young people are supposed to be a vulnerable group because of the brand fixation and the associated status. In addition, they are far less critical in their purchasing behaviour than adults and succumb to the belief that branded products are a guarantee of quality. The trend of so-called "Haul videos" can be critical, among other things. On YouTube young people present their "haul", the English term for raid. In a video the product is presented, quality and price are introduced, evaluated and a possible purchase recommendation is pronounced. What at first appears to be completely casual can become a shopping trap for many young people. It is also not without danger that young people grow up with the increasing cashless payment system and the Internet and often lack the connection to spending money. Those who rarely physically hand over cash tend to spend money more quickly that is not available at all. It is therefore not uncommon for young people in particular to quickly fall into debt traps. Due to the fact that young people usually still live at home, however, their pathological buying behaviour is noticeable earlier than that of an adult. The parents then settle the debts that have already arisen and try to put a stop to the compulsive behaviour of their child through various measures. The extent to which these measures are crowned with success depends on how precise they are. Responsible parents try to find a therapy place for their children and try to find out the causes of shopping addiction.

It is assumed that 90% of all shopping addicts are women, whereas an American study shows that men can be affected by shopping addiction in the same way as women. Younger people also tend to be more inclined towards shopping addicts than older people. Likewise, people who live in a supposedly happy partnership can satisfy their unfulfilled desire for love through shopping addiction. As ready as the spectrum of those affected may be, some commonalities can certainly be worked out. Nevertheless, the current state of research can be expanded in terms of frequency, who is particularly severely affected, what the concrete causes are and which mechanisms are effective in the case of shopping addicts.

For example, some scientists believe that a genetic disposition can be determined. This assumption, however, is of a more general nature and aims much more at the basic nature of the character. People who have emotional instability or low self-esteem and a tendency to develop depression are more likely to develop addictions. In psychology, a biological predisposition has been found in people who suffer from addiction. In patients with this condition, the reward centre in the brain should be less pronounced. Addiction fatally activates this reward centre, releases positive feelings and, in the case of shopping addiction, is associated with shopping. Nevertheless, there is no particular personality type that necessarily suffers from addiction. This phenomenon could not be scientifically proven. Thus, people can have the above-mentioned characteristics, such as a tendency to depression or an unstable personality, without ever in their life ever coming into contact with an addiction or showing an addictive behavior. Rather, science tries to explain that under certain circumstances it may be more likely to develop an addiction. However, this case does not necessarily have to occur. In addition to these biological dispositions, social and family factors also play an important role. People whose childhood was marked by withdrawal of love or performance orientation often grow up to become less stable personalities. The danger of getting addicted is thus increased if some components come together.

For example, it is assumed that shopping addiction is always based on a reduced self-esteem. The assumed correlation between shopping addiction and the frequent occurrence among women could be explained, among other things, by a lack of self-esteem. Psychological theories assume that women and fewer men in particular suffer from low self-esteem. Possible reasons cited are that women, unlike men, make their self-esteem more dependent on the outside world. They tend not to assess their abilities and characteristics realistically. The reason for this is that women always compare themselves with an ideal and not with competitors or other people. Added to this is the often unconscious attitude towards women to adapt and to be responsible for the happiness of children and men. Combined with their own self-critical attitude and the daily tension between career and family, many women experience problems with their own self-esteem. In extreme cases, a certain tendency to fall ill with a shopping addiction cannot be ruled out. However, even men may have problems with their self-esteem due to a dominant mother, childhood bullying or family tensions. For example, men cannot be excluded in principle if one speaks of a probability of falling ill with shopping addiction.

The psychological causes of addiction to shopping can therefore be quite varied: genetics, personality, neurobiological processes in the brain that favour it, mental illnesses or stress caused either by everyday life or by strokes of fate. Why, for example, a lack of self-esteem or neurobiological processes in the brain can lead to shopping addiction, will be briefly explained at this point.

Lack of self-esteem

Since self-esteem has been mentioned several times, the causes and, above all, the consequences and possible connection with shopping addiction will be examined more closely at this point. Psychologically, self-esteem is the value that an individual ascribes to himself. In other words, self-esteem can be understood as the evaluation one gives oneself. Self-esteem is often referred to as self-respect, self-confidence or self-confidence, but it is not entirely correct. Self-confidence and self-assurance are closely linked to self-esteem, but do not have the same meaning. As a rule, self-esteem includes one's own personality, abilities, memories and feelings about oneself.

How positive or negative your self-esteem is depends on three factors. This includes comparisons with other people, feedback from the environment and the principle of self-observation. In self-observation, one's own behaviour and experience is analysed and classified. As a rule, it is set in relation to previous events and is central to one's own self-perception. In the course of life, the formation of self-esteem concentrates primarily on social comparisons and is repeatedly called into question by school changes or other upheavals. Puberty would be a fitting example of such an "identity crisis". But even the change from kindergarten to school is a change that can leave its first traces.

A reduced self-esteem can primarily be traced back to a difficult childhood. However, a low self-esteem can also burn into the body over the course of a lifetime as a result of emotional injuries. While in childhood the parents are still the central figures in the life of a child, in later years this centre of life can shift and the partner can take on the central role. Disappointments from relationships are therefore a serious component that have a massive impact on self-esteem. For this it is often sufficient to have been cheated or lied to by the partner and to have destroyed the trust lastingly. Many people then ask themselves the question "why wasn't I enough for him/her" and often completely ignore that they are not solely to blame for the failure of the relationship. Fraud in relationships can be compared to a traumatic experience in which a person had to fear for his life. The psychological consequences are correspondingly far-reaching.

If the causes lie in the childhood, it is often the lack of recognition of the parents up to indifference, an emotional neglect or the absolute opposite, overprotection and overcare. Especially children who have only been rewarded with emotional goods and not with love can be prone to shopping addiction. The rush of shopping can then serve the purpose of self-affirmation and suppress the feeling of receiving too little recognition. In childhood there was an imprint on material goods which can no longer be discarded in adulthood. For example, if a child has received a gift for good grades, the focus is on materialism. And who doesn't know from their own childhood that their parents banned video games or television as a punishment? The deprivation of material goods in childhood, like the excess, can lead to the conviction in adulthood that the focus is unnaturally placed on possessions and valuables. It has long been known that concentration on materialistic values leads to a long-term decline in quality of life. While it is essential for a happy life that basic needs are met, an accumulation of material possessions does not improve quality of life and mental well-being. It is therefore a fallacy of a shopaholic who believes that buying this garment now will make him happier. But those who concentrate on material things and put a lot of energy into shopping tours rob themselves of energy and time to take care of the central things in life.

This feeling that material possessions lead to social acceptance and more is reinforced by the interpretation of one's own society. Material objects of value, as those affected believe, play a central role in gaining recognition and affection. If those affected receive the appropriate compliments for their acquired clothing or the latest mobile phone, they are ultimately even strengthened in this perception. The self-esteem is upgraded and the affected persons are driven further into addiction in this way. Since society is increasingly focusing on these material values, it is not unlikely that buying addiction will be more strongly represented in the coming generations than it is currently the case.

Sooner or later, a lack of security, closeness and love often triggers an inner emptiness that is to be filled by the purchase of products. For example, those affected report that the arrival of packages ordered online gives them a childlike feeling of Christmas again. In this case, shopping addiction is a desperate attempt to restore the feeling of beautiful memories and love. The central role of the inner child also becomes clear in this description. In psychology, thoughts, feelings and experiences from childhood that can play an important role in experiencing and acting despite their advanced age are called inner children. Many shopping addicts are in a permanent conflict with their inner child, that is, in their case fear of rejection or withdrawal of love, and their adult self, which is marked by reason and a sense of responsibility. Psychotherapy is one way of ending one's own conflict with one's inner child and finding peace with childhood experiences and feelings.

The attention and attention that the affected person receives from the seller is also a factor that should not be underestimated. The feeling of lack of attention and devotion can be compensated in this way. For this reason, the goods already purchased are not returned. Affected people report the fear that the seller's recognition and love will be lost if they return their purchase. What is particularly striking about these descriptions is the distorted perception of those affected. The salesman does his job professionally and rarely offers his customers honest feelings of recognition or even love. The longing of those affected for attention and positive attention and the deficits that are present in their own lives become clear.

Strokes of fate

A stroke of fate can include sudden unemployment, the death of a relative or similar stressful life situations such as separation from one's long-term partner. Studies have shown that these factors have a significant influence on self-esteem in adulthood. While, for example, a breach of trust in a partnership or marriage can lead to a loss of self-esteem and thus trigger a buying addiction, stressful life situations can be unloaded by compulsive shopping. In this case, those affected try to distract themselves from their negative feelings and problems. In these cases, there must not have been a disposition for shopping addiction in the past, but those affected experience by chance that shopping makes them easier and more joyful. Once this positive experience is made, it can happen that the positive feelings want to be experienced again and a vicious circle begins.

The psychosocial consequences of unemployment are manifold. For example, those who suddenly become unemployed may feel excluded from society. Particularly in Germany, social recognition is often defined by the professional success of the individual. The fear of being considered