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Are You a Compulsive Shopper? |
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Articles, How-To's and Interviews -
Personal Finances
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Written by Jeffrey Strain
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Oniomania, also referred to as compulsive shopping, is the
excessive and uncontrollable desire to purchase items. In the US where
spending and credit are part of the national pastime, oniomania is
often viewed by others as the oniomaniac being financially
irresponsible. This leaves many oniomaniacs to fend for themselves with
little to no support when dealing with their problem. Due to this lack
of understanding, the disorder can linger for years without sufferers
getting the medical attention they need.
It's
estimated that just under 10% of people living in the US suffer from
oniomania. The vast majority are women (80% - 90%) with the typical
oniomaniac being a woman in her early to mid-30s. She usually has
several credit cards that are are at their limit or very close to being
so. She usually comes from a family that earns a low to middle-income.
Oniomania can have both financial and psychological devastating
effects. The disorder almost always leads to financial problems,
overspending and bad credit. It also creates mental and emotional
difficulties which result from the over spending.
Most mental health professionals do not consider oniomania an
addiction. Unlike alcohol or drugs, there is no physical dependency.
Oniomaniacs do, however, often times display a variety of addictive
behaviors and many have been addicted to other things in the past.
Oniomania usually begins with depression or some other emotional
distress. These emotions set off an impulse for the oniomaniac to shop.
The shopping gives a type of euphoria which reduces the emotional
distress that they are feeling. After the shopping is over, the
euphoria wears off and there is a letdown. The letdown is usually
followed by guilt and depression over the wasted money and increasing
debt. This starts the cycle all over again.
Even when the symptoms of oniomania are recognized, treatment for it is
often difficult. Since it's impossible to stop shopping altogether, the
treatment has to be dealt with is a similar fashion to eating
disorders. This is accomplished by bringing the shopping to a healthy
level through counseling and support.
While there are a number of steps a oniomaniac can take on their own to
help reduce their shopping to normal levels (avoid credit cards, limit
their exposure to advertisements, etc), ultimately professional
psychological help is needed to tackle the problem. Proper treatment
helps to make sure that the oniomaniac doesn't simply stop their
compulsive shopping and replace it with another compulsive habit. If
you believe that you or someone you know may have oniomania, it's
important to contact a mental health professional to seek help.
Copyright (c) Jeffrey Strain. He is owner of http://www.grocerycouponguide.com - a website dedicated to helping you save money when shopping. |
