Are you addicted to shopping?
It’s something people joke about, but one expert points out a shopping addiction is actually an impulse control disorder, similar to other behaviours like video gaming, Internet, pornography, stealing and sex.
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“Compulsive shopping is a situation where the shopping controls you rather than you controlling the shopping,” said Dr. Ronald Fraser, the head of Inpatient Detoxification Services at the MUHC Addictions Unit.
“It also has to result in some sort of functional impairment or significant clinical distress, frequently in the form of conflict within their significant relationships with loved ones.”
There aren’t a lot of studies on the conditions as mainstream researchers don’t seem to be particularly interested in it, explained Fraser.
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This has stunted research.
“People estimate that it’s perhaps around five per cent of the general population,” said Fraser, adding that people too often tell others to “just stop.”
“This is society’s view on substance misuse, gambling and many other self-destructive behaviours – that we now know are genuine brain diseases and need to be approached as such.”
Despite the stereotype that women enjoy shopping much more than men, the addiction isn’t gender-specific.
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“There, in fact, doesn’t seem to be that much evidence that there’s much of the gender difference,” he said.
“One would be inclined to intuitively think that perhaps the prevalence has increased in the past decade with the proliferation of online shopping.”
“Now in order to shop you don’t even have to get out of your pyjamas and leave your house.”
Fraser pointed out signs of shopping addiction usually comes hand in hand with other addictive behaviours, like substance abuse or gambling.
READ MORE: Psychology of an impulse buy: how stores manipulate you to spend more
This can result in financial ruin and bankruptcy; it can also take a toll on relationships.
“Most people who engage in compulsive behaviours are doing so in a dysfunctional attempt to self-soothe, but the fundamental feature of impulse control disorders is a lack of control over the impulse,” said Fraser.
Canadians in debt
Canadians experienced record-high debt in 2015.
Household debt rose 4.9 per cent, the fastest in four years, to a total of $1.92 trillion, which includes a 6.3-per-cent surge in mortgage debt.
Consumer credit clocked in at $585.8 billion.
Christmas shopping in decline?
Traditionally, the annual Christmas shopping season has made December the busiest time of the year and the most important month for retailers.
In recent years, events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, centred around the American Thanksgiving weekend, have pushed the beginning of the holiday shopping season into late November.
From 2006 to 2014, retail sales in November and December showed a combined decline from 18.3 per cent total annual retail sales to 17.8 per cent.
Nevertheless sales in both months remained above the monthly average, with December remaining the busiest shopping month of the year.
So, what do you do if you think you suffer from shopping addiction?
Rather than turning to medication, Fraser proposes psychological therapy and intervention.
He suggests speaking to a professional about feeling a loss of control or compulsive behaviour to treat the issue at its source.
There are also 12 step self-help groups, such as Overspenders Anonymous, that can give people a source of support.
rachel.lau@globalnews.ca
Follow @rachel_lau
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