Shopaholic Syndrome Symptoms

The shopaholic seems to be a problem of more recent times, and is also referred to as compulsive buying disorder (CBD). While we might joke around about the shop-til-you-drop idea, shopaholic syndrome is nothing to laugh about, as it can bring devastation and disaster to the individual and their families.

As in any other compulsive disorder, a particular behavior or activity causes an extreme high, followed by a low, which spurs the individual into repeating the patter to maintain the high feeling. The person suffering from this disorder often also has feelings of anxiety, because they may be making an attempt to fight the intense impulses. Additional feelings that can accompany the process can include shame and guilt.

Excessive shopping is the main symptom involved in the shopaholic syndrome. While the average person may have around three credit cards and knows how to use and pay them, the shopaholic has many more credit cards and usually has the balances just around $100 to $500 below the maximum. Most of the shopaholics purchases are made with credit cards. The term excessive shopping is all relative. The average individual may treat themselves to something special or extravagant, while the shopaholic will buy ten of those items.

The shopaholic usually suffers from extreme debt and a variety of financial problems. This can have a problematic effect on their lives and the lives of their families. The shopaholic often hides the facts of their need to spend and this is another symptom that once found out, may require intervention to save a relationship and the health of the individual as well. Our society encourages that we spend and have, but shopaholic syndrome goes beyond just the desire to want something, it taps into the excitement area of the brain, which triggers a low and then the need for the high to be repeated.

Source: http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/5-signs-of-shopaholic.htm

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.