During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, people took advantage of that option. In 2020, online sales increased by 43 percent from 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Maybe your retail activity contributed to that boom in online sales — either due to safety concerns, convenience, boredom, or fun. Maybe there’s been a time or two (or more) that you questioned whether your spending got out of control. How can you tell if your shopping habit is a problem? Simply put, there’s a difference between a shopping addiction and occasional leisure shopping. But it’s important to know that if your shopping habits become extreme, they can constitute a behavioral disorder. Here’s more about how to tell the difference, and even if you don’t have a clinical disorder, how to change your habits if you think they’re becoming a problem. Problematic shopping addiction or compulsive buying, for example, is when a person continues to buy new things, regardless of whether they can afford them, says Pareen Sehat, a registered clinical counselor and clinical director at Well Beings Counselling in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. “They may face financial difficulties, but these negative effects still don’t stop them from shopping.” Experts point out that the emotions experienced during compulsive buying — the urge to buy, the loss of control, and subsequent short-term positive feelings — are similar to those of a drug addiction. “The individual with a shopping addiction experiences the same rush or ‘high’ from buying things as someone who abuses drugs,” explains Holly Schiff, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist for Jewish Family Services of Greenwich in Connecticut. “The brain then associates shopping with this pleasure and the person wants to try and recreate it again and again.” Today, many mental health providers do recognize compulsive buying as a behavioral problem. But it’s important to point out that the latest update of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) — the guidelines published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) for diagnosing clinical mental health disorders — does not include it as a diagnosable disorder. A 2014 review has suggested that this is due to a lack of clear criteria to diagnose the behavior. In a 2021 statement, the APA noted that it’s still unclear how to classify a true shopping addiction — and that shopping addiction may be a sign of a psychiatric or behavioral disorder, rather than a disorder in its own right. (Other research has noted that shopping addiction often happens alongside psychiatric and behavioral conditions, including anxiety disorders, mood disorders, eating disorders, and substance use disorders.) So while someone might experience addictive-like behaviors associated with shopping, mental health professionals are more likely to diagnose this as a behavioral problem associated with other mental health conditions, and not as a separate mental illness. It’s important to keep this in mind as we further explore shopping addiction throughout the rest of this article. Finally, while the debate around how to classify shopping addiction is ongoing, it’s important to restate that a fondness for shopping is not the same as a shopping addiction. And if you notice that your shopping has become a frequent habit, that doesn’t mean that you’re addicted either. But if you have concerns about your shopping habits, there are certainly steps you can take to address them — more on that below.
A preoccupation with shopping or spending moneyIntrusive thoughts and urges before the shopping processBuying items you can’t afford, or buying items you don’t really needVariations in mood during the shopping process, such as feeling relieved after spending money, but then feeling guilt or frustration later onFinancial, school, or work problems as a result of spending too much money, as well as too much time dedicated to shopping behaviorsStrained interpersonal and family relationshipsThe inability to stop compulsive shopping behaviors, even if the affected person knows that it has negative effects on their life
Shopping secretly (particularly online) can be another indicator of shopping addiction, as people conceal their purchases out of guilt, says Schiff. Other research has noted that compulsive behaviors seen in shopping addiction are similar to those seen in other additions, including gambling disorders and sexual addictions. While the developers of the DSM-5 have chosen not to include shopping addiction, the 2014 review notes that some of the symptoms of craving and withdrawal some people experience could be similar to other addictions. “Shopping can act as a distraction from unpleasant emotions,” explains Schiff. She adds that addiction involves both physical and psychological factors. Physically, the brain chemicals released during shopping can give people a “high,” she explains, while psychologically, people may shop for things to help them cope with stress or feel a sense of control. “Stress and anxiety are the most significant underlying causes of shopping addiction,” adds Sehat. Many people turn to gratifying behaviors as coping mechanisms, she says. “The endorphins released make the individual feel happy and less stressed.” The aforementioned 2021 statement from the APA suggested that there’s evidence that social isolation and stress may increase the risk of developing a shopping addiction. These dynamics could have been at play while many people spent more time at home, carrying extra stressors, and in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic — and could have plausibly caused an increase in these types of behaviors. The authors of the paper noted, however, that this is just a theory, and currently there’s no hard evidence to say one way or the other that this happened. Certain environmental risk factors have also been found to put people at a higher risk of developing shopping addiction. For example, having a higher income or having credit cards may make compulsive buying more accessible. Changes in your personal environment, such as a divorce, or moving away from your loved ones, could also influence emotionally driven compulsive buying, as some people report shopping to alleviate feelings of loneliness, helplessness, or guilt. The 2012 review has also suggested that shopping addiction may coincide with mental health conditions involving impulsivity and compulsiveness, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), personality disorders, anxiety disorders, and binge-eating disorder. It may also be linked with affective disorders, such as depression. Other research noted that shopping addiction tends to run in families, particularly families living with mood, anxiety, or substance use disorders. But having any of the above mental health conditions doesn’t mean you will automatically develop a shopping addiction, and vice-versa. It’s important to note that even if you don’t have full-fledged addiction, a therapist can still help with problematic behaviors you want to work on, such as a shopping habit you are uncomfortable with. “In treatment, the provider aims to interrupt the cycle, face the issue, and help the patient develop new and healthier ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving,” says Schiff. They may also use a diagnostic tool called the Bergen Shopping Addiction Scale, which measures seven key criteria associated with addiction: conflict, mood modification, problems, relapse, salience, tolerance, and withdrawal. (You can access an online version of the questionnaire here, but this is not a substitute for a professional diagnosis.) To diagnose a true shopping problem, the clinician should take into account a comprehensive view of that person’s behaviors and other influences in their lives, says Sehat. “Are they shopping because they are depressed? Does it make them feel even more overwhelmed? Is it increasing their debt?” A mental health professional may recommend treatments for compulsive buying that may be similar to other compulsive disorders, such as OCD. Depending on your symptoms and their severity, this might include a combination of therapy and medications, as Mayo Clinic outlines. Psychotherapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which is an approach that helps you understand the underlying reasons behind your compulsions (in this case, a perceived need to shop), and how you might be able to stop them. A doctor or psychiatrist may also recommend medications that may help control compulsive behaviors, per Mayo Clinic. Antidepressants, such as sertraline (Zoloft) or fluoxetine (Prozac), are considered first-line medications for obsessive-compulsive disorders and obsessive-compulsive related disorders. Also note that these types of medications may be used to treat the underlying causes of shopping addiction, such as anxiety, depression, or OCD. If you’re seeking help for a shopping addiction, consider starting with the following resources:
Your primary care doctor, who may be able to refer you to a therapist or behavioral specialistThe American Psychological Association’s psychologist locator toolOnline therapy programsPhone and text support from the National Alliance on Mental IllnessIndividual, family, or peer support groupsA 12-step program, such as Spenders Anonymous, which is designed to help you overcome addictive-like behaviors via a step-by-step process
She also suggests making a list before going shopping — and then sticking with it. “Whenever they feel the urge to shop, I tell them to acknowledge that feeling, and then to do something constructive — like exercise, or journal, or take up a hobby that doesn’t require spending money,” she says. “This teaches them to ride the wave of urges and develop healthier habits.” Sehat also recommends journaling in place of compulsive shopping as a way to channel your emotions and reflect on your feelings. You can also unsubscribe from stores’ promotional emails, unfollow brands on social media, and install an ad blocker on your computer to help you resist temptation. “Depending on the severity of the addiction, the buyer may need to be cut off from their cash flow or have someone else in charge of their finances,” says Schiff. Ultimately, Sehat reminds her clients, they are in control of the situation. “If your anxiety is forcing you to shop, it’s better to channel those emotions elsewhere,” she says. “Finding more healthy coping strategies that work for you can help so much.”
