Signs & Symptoms of Shopaholics

Purchasing and collecting items is usually a normal pastime but it is important to recognize when this hobby has crossed over into something more serious. Official diagnoses are best left to professionals, but there are some telling signs that compulsive shopping has become a problem.

Obsession with Money

• For someone who has a shopping addiction, not having access to money or credit cards can produce a sensation of being lost. A preoccupation with how much money the person has available for purchases or knowing that they do not have the ability to make further purchases can be a source of anxiety or depression.

Unused Purchases

• Shopaholics frequently purchase far more clothing and other items than they can possibly use. They have closets and cabinets full of clothing, appliances and other items that still bear the sales tags and have never been used. Shopaholics still have the urge to make purchases; this is a sign of a problem.

Duplicated Purchases

• The symptom of duplicated purchases may not be as apparent in the case of purchasing too many items of clothing because people routinely have several sweaters or pairs of pants. However owning multiple toasters, vacuums or other such household and kitchen items that households generally only need one of can be a warning sign of a potential problem.

Hiding Purchases and Bills

• A trait of this disorder is the compulsion to hide all evidence of excessive shopping. People who struggle with compulsive shopping often hide the things that they have purchased as well as receipts, bills and credit card statements. These tactics are rarely successful in keeping the addiction hidden, however concealing excessive purchases allows addicts to temporarily avoid confrontation with spouses and family members.

Coping Mechanism

• Shopping as a means of coping with disappointment, anger or fear can be a sign that an addiction has been formed. Shopaholics lack the ability or tools to appropriately express negative emotions. Rather than confronting someone who has hurt them or finding a productive outlet for their anger, compulsive shoppers bury these feelings and distract themselves with bargain hunting and acquiring new things.

Temporary Euphoria

• Shopping addicts often experience a euphoric sensation when they are in the midst of a spending spree. This feeling is often likened to the high felt by drug addicts. When shopping addicts return home after a spree they are then often overcome with feelings of guilt, shame, embarrassment or confusion. This is because the high offered by shopping comes from the purchasing of items and not the owning of items according to neuroscientist Gregory Berns, MD, PhD., of Web MD.