Knowing if you’re addicted to shopping is a difficult process if you don’t know enough about the disorder. Typically, when there are addictions, the patient is the last to notice the actions that result from her behavior.
shopping addiction is the compulsive way of shopping for goods and even services. In most cases these are typical consumer products, which have no clear utility and which are installed as a necessity by advertising.
It is normal that you have to shop to cover the logical daily needs; however, if you develop an addiction, what happens is that you lose control of your consumption. Furthermore, the process can be accompanied by frustration when it is not possible to have what you want and a consequent feeling of guilt for the actual spending.
Although we are talking about a current consumer society, with a tendency to spend on the superfluous, Not all people are susceptible to developing this behavior. Greater susceptibility has been observed among those who are more compulsive, have low frustration tolerance, or whose self-esteem is too low.
What is the typical shopaholic profile?
Anyone can be addicted to shopping, although one specific patient has been characterized as having more frequency of the disorder. In general, this is usually a young woman with easy access to the Internet.
According to world estimates in developed countries, women tend to have this problem more than men, in high proportion. It is also noted that they spend more time choosing the product, without making immediate purchases of the first thing they find; which is common among men.
The age of these addicts ranges from 20 to 65, mostly. The elderly, on the other hand, seem to reduce their purchasing habits and be more austere in their consumption.
The Internet has meant a change and a sensational explosion of the phenomenon of shopping addiction. The ease with which one can access virtual shops full of products, offers, promotions and free shipping has reinforced the compulsion.
Although there are shopaholics in physical and traditional stores, it is recorded that the acquisition on line it is the norm in those with this disorder. This also ensures a certain anonymity, which avoids the embarrassment of going to a place regularly and being discovered.
Signs that you are addicted to shopping
There are a number of signs, cues and behaviors that can alert you to a shopping addiction. We share and explain them now:
- Having an uncontrollable desire to buy: shopping addiction is a compulsion. The person wants to have a new product yes or yes and as quickly as possible. This leads to anxiety symptoms that we can identify when we suffer from it.
- Loss of control: a feature of all addictions is the patient’s difficulty in controlling himself. There’s a sign that you’re a shopaholic if you can’t stop spending or the number of items you end up buying.
- Intrusion of habit into everything: Another sign of addictions is that they affect various aspects of the patient’s life. It’s not a habit reduced to a moment of the day, but it disrupts family, work and social life.
- Getting frustrated at not being able to buy: When you become nervous, anxious, and irritable because you can’t buy what you wanted, you may be showing a sign of shopping addiction. It’s normal to worry about not getting something you wanted to do. But if that frustration is excessively expressed, then it can be pathological.
Treatments for a shopaholic
It is an addiction and, as such, the therapeutic scheme is based on a psychological approach. The use of drugs can be justified if there are very strong signs of anxiety or depression, for which a psychiatrist intervenes with certain drugs.
As for psychotherapy, relaxation and behavior modification techniques are preferred. The goal is to increase impulse control and avoid situations that could encourage compulsive buying.
Sometimes, through cognitive therapy, the patient is asked about the subsequent origin of his addiction. For this it is necessary that the interested person is aware of his disorder and learns to keep track of what he spends and the sensations he experiences every time he buys.
In terms of behavior modification, the involvement of third parties to assist in treatment is crucial. A shopping mentor can be chosen to manage the addicted person’s money, and advise her on the items deemed necessary and on those that are superfluous.
Shopping addiction is no joke
While it sounds like a game, and many are used to spending money on nonessential purchases, you need to understand that shopping addiction is a psychological disorder.
As such, deserves attention and treatment in cases that require it. The family and work consequences that a compulsion of this type entails are not negligible.
The post 4 signs that you are addicted to shopping appeared first in research-school.