Shopping addiction should be recognised as a mental health condition
Shopping addiction should be recognised as a mental health condition because so many people are now showing worrying signs of obsessive behaviour because of the convenience of internet shopping, psychiatrists have argued.
A new analysis of 122 people seeking treatment for buying-shopping disorder (BSD) found that one third are reporting symptoms of addictive online purchasing.
At present, BSD is not classed as a separate mental health condition, but as an “other specified impulse control disorder” in the recently released 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases.
It defines an extreme preoccupation with and craving for buying or shopping, as well as irresistible and identity-seeking urges to possess consumer goods.
Patients with BSD buy more consumer goods than they can afford, need, or use to get pleasure, relief from negative feelings, but researchers said the ease with which people could now satisfy their cravings online was exacerbating the issues and causing problematic addictions.
People who scored higher on shopping disorder tests were found to be far more anxious and depressed.
“It really is time to recognize BSD as separate mental health condition and to accumulate further knowledge about BSD on the internet,” said lead investigator Dr Astrid Müller, of the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
The researchers warn that the internet offers access to a huge number of online stores making it easier to gain an immediate reward and become addicted.
And online shopping creates a perfect storm of availability, anonymity, accessibility, and affordability, which contribute to the development of an addiction.
In the long term, such addictions can lead to family breakdown, long-term debt, the hoarding of goods and even criminal activity to pay for the purchases.
Dr. Müller added: “We hope that our results showing that the prevalence of addictive online shopping among treatment-seeking patients with BSD will encourage future research.”
The research was published in the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry.
