The Shopping Disorder

For many, shopping may seem a harmless pastime or a self prescribed relaxation technique in the form of retail therapy. More often than not, shopping is seen as a good thing, a hobby that's good for the economy. For others, it can be a serious illness in the form of an addiction.

However, addiction to shopping is not officially recognized as a disorder in the book of mental disorders that psychiatrists use to diagnose and treat illnesses. Many members of the mental health community believe, however, that compulsive shopping is a serious and dangerous disorder for shopaholics. They believe it is not studied closely enough and more research in to the condition is required as there seem to be many more sufferers than is realized. The American journal of psychiatry recently published a study suggesting more than one in 20 Americans suffer from a compulsive shopping disorder.

Shopaholics can not simply stop their addiction as many people believe. The suffers are not simply squandering money, they are suffering from a habit that has spiraled out of control. For many, it's a vicious circle. The sufferers feel tense and distressed before shopping, the shopping then releases the tension and calms them down. Once they have stopped shopping, feelings of guilt a remorse emerge causing them to seek solace once more in retail therapy.

Treatment and help for shopaholics for compulsive shopping is difficult. Some treatment centers attempt to control it with a mixture of cognitive behavioral therapy and psychotherapy. Research continues searching for a treatment through medication and preliminary studies show an improvement after a course of antidepressants. Many believe that shopaholics cannot be fully cured of their addiction, only help for shopaholics is learn how to control it and cope with it. Some believe remission is possible but unlikely to be long term.

Studies continue to find out more and more about this disorder. Many believe that by viewing it as diagnosable will help with understanding it more completely while others believe labelling it as such will lead to misuse and misdiagnosis.