Behavioral Process Addictions

Compulsive Buying Disorder: When Shopping Addiction Becomes a Problem

Whether it’s the latest gadget, a chic new piece of clothing, or even food, we’ve all felt the urge to splurge now and again. This comes as little surprise because we are constantly bombarded with online, print, and media ads that reinforce shopping mentality. Indulging in occasional spending isn’t necessarily a bad thing when it done in moderation and doesn’t disrupt family finances.

If your urge to shop becomes uncontrollable and if you are constantly spending beyond your means on things that you don’t need, a shopping addiction can be just as damaging as gambling or alcoholism. Fortunately, there are ways to break free from shopping addiction. If you have tried to quit spending with little or no luck, you may need the help of friends, family, or a supportive treatment program to kick the compulsion to shop.

What Is Shopping Addiction?

“Compulsive buying disorder” is the proposed diagnosis for shopping addiction. It’s a worldwide problem, and approximately 5.8% of the U.S. population will experience some type of compulsive buying disorder during their lives.¹

Many people who suffer from shopping addiction also experience a co-occurring mental health condition, such as anxiety or depression. Some people engage in addictive shopping to boost their self-esteem. While the term “shopaholic” is often used in jest, it is a serious condition as people who shop compulsively generally spend well beyond their means.

Shopping addiction is a process addiction. Process addictions are addictions to things other than physically addictive drugs or alcohol.

The Cycle of Shopping Addiction

People who struggle with compulsive shopping may experience ups and downs in their addiction. The urge to shop is usually strongest during moments of depression, sadness, or anger. Shopping addiction has also been associated with holidays that reinforce compulsive shopping, i.e. holiday shopping in December.

People who struggle with a shopping problem initially feel a “high” or “rush” from the act of shopping. However, any positive feelings they get from gratifying their compulsion are fleeting.

Many people feel deep regret, shame, or embarrassment in the aftermath of a shopping spree, which ultimately leads to more feelings of distress and more shopping.

Some people contain their shopping problem to online shopping. Sprees on sites like Amazon.com can also play into problem shopping patterns, and are often just as devastating as in-person shopping. The ability to quietly and quickly buy more through online merchants can lead to shopping sprees in the middle of the night, during work breaks, or from the comfort of the living room sofa. These sprees are often extremely financially devastating and can be hard to control.

Signs of Shopping Addiction

People who shop compulsively experience shopping differently from people who do not have this problem.

Here are some signs to watch out for:

• The act of shopping causes feelings of euphoria, or a “high.”
• The urge to buy is overwhelming, and must be gratified instantly.
• Items bought during shopping sprees are often unnecessary.
• Shopaholics often go shopping with the intention to buy only a few items and end up buying much more than they intended.
• Purchased items may be hidden from family and friends out of guilt.
• Shopaholics are often in debt, have maxed out credit cards and are in generally bad financial straits due to spending beyond their means.

If any of these signs apply to you, then you might have a shopping addiction. Acknowledging the problem is the first step toward resolving it. However, breaking free of shopping addiction may require the help of others.

Your compulsion to shop may be a way you cope with issues such emotional problems or may even stem from mental health issues. Help from a supportive team is key. Addictions and compulsions often mask other problems. Qualified help may be necessary to resolve other issues that are clustered with the problem shopping. A full recovery will be difficult without treatment and support.

Problems Associated with Compulsive Shopping

People with shopping addiction often spend beyond their means. Although it may appear less harmful than other forms of addiction, such as drug or alcohol abuse, shopping addiction can and does create serious problems. Financial problems are the most obvious problems associated with compulsive shopping.

Without anything to stop the issue, people with this issue often spend until they absolutely can no longer buy new things. This may mean they have run out of money, maxed out their credit cards, and are unable to borrow funds to continue to feed the addiction. Shopping addiction may cause financial and even legal problems if those who suffer are unable to fulfill their other financial obligations because of their addiction.

People with compulsive shopping disorder may resort to borrowing money from family and friends in order to fuel their addiction. Relationships with loved ones may grow strained over time because people with shopping addiction have a tendency to continually borrow even if they lack the capacity to pay back their debt.

The shame and desire to hide spending often strains marriages and relationships. This can lead to strained or broken relationships because even patient and loving partners eventually become unable to cope with the consequences of the addiction.

In some cases, compulsive shopping impacts the person’s credit score, which may prevent him or her from buying a home or a reliable vehicle. In some cases, low credit scores may impact the ability to be hired for a job. Severe cases of shopping addiction may also lower a person’s ability to work, and online shopping during work hours may lead to job termination.

Left unresolved, compulsive shopping can become just as problematic and self-destructive as almost any other form of addiction.

How to Recover from Shopping Addiction

True shopping addiction requires treatment if you want to make a full recovery. You will also need the help of friends and family to prevent yourself from sliding back into compulsive shopping after treatment or a counseling program.

Counseling and rehab can help you uncover and treat the real causes behind your shopping and problem spending. For example, if you generally shop as a means of dealing with stress, then you will want to treat the underlying emotional causes and build new skills to replace the shopping habit.

Compulsive shopping is about much more than a “bad habit”. Shopping addiction is a legitimate process addiction and it can be very devastating to relationships, finances, and well-being. You may want to begin by making it more difficult to spend, but challenging your own spending is only the beginning. Supportive groups, counseling, and the help and input from an experienced financial advisor are all important steps to get you back on track.

Intervention for Shopping Addiction

An intervention as a carefully planned process that involves the family, friends, and sometimes even colleagues of an addicted person. Although intervention styles may vary, they generally involve gathering loved ones and friends to confront the person who suffers from addiction, while getting them to accept treatment for their condition.

Successful interventions include offering a plan of treatment, along with its phases, objectives, and parameters. A follow-up treatment plan (that begins after treatment) is also necessary to ensure that the addicted person has a greater chance of recovery. Recovery from a shopping addiction requires ongoing support and encouragement from all family members.

Treatment for Shopping Addiction

Like other forms of addiction, compulsive shopping disorder is a disease. Further, people with shopping addiction may suffer from mental health concerns or other forms of addiction, such as alcohol use or compulsive gambling.

Uncovering the root of the problem will help lower the risk that it will return later in life. Counseling and a supportive group of people who have been there themselves and truly understand can make all the difference in the world.

Impulse Control Disorder

Impulses are defined as a strong desire to act without immediate reflection. Most of the time, individuals are able to control and refuse to act on impulses that may be harmful to themselves and others.

Impulse control disorders (ICDs) are a class of mental disorders related to issues regarding self-control of harmful emotions or behaviors that are in conflict with societal norms or that violate the rights of others. These disorders are classified with disruptive and conduct disorders in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-V). Everyone has impulses, but someone with an impulse control disorder has difficulty controlling urges that may be violent or self-destructive, or that include problematic sexual behaviors, excessive shopping, gambling, fire-starting, or repetitive acts of theft or stealing.

Tension may build up, creating a strong impulse to act on one of these potentially harmful urges, which may provide a release or surge of pleasure during the act, but guilt may follow quickly after. Impulse control disorders are often called behavioral addictions and share several qualities with substance abuse disorders and drug or alcohol addictions. Impulsive actions in someone with an ICD may affect the reward centers in the brain, creating a potential addiction to these behaviors much in the same manner as substance abuse can impact reward pathways and lead to a physical and psychological dependence on drugs or alcohol.

A study reported by Frontiers in Psychology estimated that 10.4 percent of the college students surveyed indicated at least one lifetime ICD, highlighting the commonality of these disorders. Similarly, the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) estimated that 8.2 percent of Americans aged 12 and older met the criteria for substance abuse or dependence in the previous year.

Types of Impulse Control Disorders

The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) created by the World Health Organization (WHO) proposes to include disorders indicated by the repeated inability to refrain from acting on urges that provide short-term pleasure in spite of long-term harm to the self or others in the ICD-11.

This would classify the following as impulse control disorders, as published in World Psychiatry:

• Intermittent explosive disorder
• Pathological gambling
• Pyromania
• Kleptomania
• Compulsive sexual behavior disorder

Previous editions of the DSM also included trichotillomania, or compulsive hair pulling, as well as skin picking, or excoriation, as impulse control disorders, although they are now classified as a obsessive-compulsive disorders in the DSM-V. Compulsive behavior differs from impulsive in that compulsions are generally an attempt to reduce anxiety or a perceived threat of harm, while impulsive actions may be performed in order to derive pleasure. Excessive buying or shopping and internet addiction are also being considered as impulse control disorders, although there is currently not enough information on them to formally include these potential disorders.

Attention deficient hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, and bipolar disorder also involve poor impulse control, although this is not the primary indicator of these disorders. While they may often overlap, ADHD and bipolar disorder are considered separate diagnoses than impulse control disorder.

An impulse control disorder indicated by excessive outbursts of violence or aggression towards others or against property that are out of proportion to the provoking factor or event is considered intermittent explosive disorder. The episodes of aggression may be physical or verbal and usually last around 30 minutes and occur frequently (e.g., several times a month or more).

This disorder may start in childhood or in the early teenage years. Psychiatric Times publishes that 5.5 to 7.5 percent of the population may meet the criteria for intermittent explosive disorder. Pathological or compulsive gambling may affect as many as two to four percent of the population, as reported by PyschCentral. It is a type of impulse control disorder manifested by the inability to stop gambling regardless of the odds or negative consequences.

Impulse Control and Substance Abuse

Substance abuse may often be initiated due to a lack of impulse control, much like an impulse control disorder. In fact, impulse control disorders and substance abuse disorders have many similarities and overlapping tendencies. The same genetic tendencies or environmental stressors that may lead to the development of an impulse control disorder may also predispose someone towards substance abuse or dependence.

Impulses and decision-making are controlled partially by the amygdala and prefrontal cortex of the brain. These regions are not fully developed until adulthood, meaning that adolescents and young adults may have more difficulties controlling impulses or making sound decisions. This may indicate why many impulse control disorders often begin in adolescence. Those who abuse substances early in life also may be more likely to develop a substance abuse disorder later on as well. For example, 11.5 percent of Americans age 18 or older who first tried marijuana before the age of 14 were classified as having an illicit drug abuse or dependence while only 2.6 of the population that waited until 18 to try it met the same criteria, as reported by the 2013 NSDUH. Childhood trauma, or other environmental factors, may also affect regions of the brain responsible for controlling impulses and engaging in potentially risky or self-destructive behaviors.

Signs of Addiction

Both acting on potentially harmful impulses and abusing substances can create similar surges of dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for pleasure, interfering with the brain’s natural reward circuitry and encouraging a repetition of the behavior. Addiction is defined as a disease that affects motivation and the reward center in the brain, and both substance abuse and impulse control disorders meet these criteria.

The DSM-V classifies the following as criteria for a substance abuse disorder:

• The substance is taken for a longer period of time or in greater amounts than originally intended
• Cravings for the substance
• Multiple unsuccessful attempts to stop using the substance
• Tolerance to the substance, indicated by a need to take higher doses in order to achieve the same results
• Persistent use of the substance regardless of negative physical or interpersonal consequences
• Withdrawal from activities or social events previously enjoyed due to the substance
• Excessive amounts of time spent obtaining the substance, using it and recovering from its effects
• Inability to fulfill work, school, or familial obligations regularly
• Withdrawal symptoms occur when the substance is removed

When any two of these symptoms are present for a period of 12 months, a substance abuse disorder may be diagnosed. Impulse control disorders share many of these same indicators – for example, someone who suffers from pathological gambling may crave the opportunity to gamble, begin to spend most of his time gambling or thinking about it, withdraw from activities not related to gambling, suffer a drop in work or school performance due to gambling, and continue to gamble despite losing money and at great personal or financial risk.

Both substance abuse and impulse control disorders make chemical changes in the brain, resulting in the perpetuation of negative and habit-forming behaviors. Over time, the individual may begin to rely on the substance or impulsive act in order to feel pleasure, as the brain will cease to produce the natural chemicals responsible for these feelings. This creates both a psychological and physical dependence wherein the person will crave the action or substance in order to regain what the brain now perceives as normal or balanced. When an impulse control disorder or substance abuse interferes with the ability to function normally within society and negatively affects personal relationships and physical well-being, it is time to seek professional help.

Co-occurring Disorders and Treatment Methods

Approximately one-third of those suffering from a mental health disorder and one-half of those with a serious mental illness also suffer from substance abuse, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Conversely, one-half of drug abusers and one-third of alcohol abusers also suffer from mental illness. When two disorders are present in the same person at the same time, the disorders are said to be co-occurring. Substance abuse may be a form of self-medication in order to provide relief from mental health symptoms.

Impulse control disorders may create a buildup of anxiety that may only be relieved by acting on the urge, and substance abuse may be a method to dull these anxious feelings. Guilt and shame also often follow the successful completion of the impulsive act, a sort of letdown after the euphoria or high that may occur as a result of the action. These negative side effects after the fact may be further numbed by substance abuse. Substance abuse may provide a temporary relief; however, it only serves to make matters worse in the long run. Over time, a substance abuse disorder may be created as a physical and emotional dependence to both the impulsive action, and drug or alcohol abuse may develop.

In order to effectively treat both disorders, each must be considered a primary disorder and managed simultaneously through integrated care models. Teams of medical professionals will work together to develop a comprehensive care plan that may evolve over time. A substance abuse disorder may require a medically managed detox period in order to reach physical stabilization first. Medications may be used to help smooth out withdrawal and manage side effects and cravings.

Depression, anxiety and other mood fluctuations are common during withdrawal from substance abuse and may also be present in those recovering from an ICD.

Antidepressants and mood stabilizers may be useful adjunct medications during recovery. While there currently no medications approved by the FDA to treat ICDs directly, medications for specific symptoms may be helpful when combined with psychotherapy and psychological support.

Behavioral Therapy and Recovery

Behavioral therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), are an important aspect of successful treatment plans as well. CBT focuses on identifying environmental or social stressors that may trigger the desire to engage in self-destructive behaviors, such as substance abuse, aggression, violence, or other problematic actions related to impulse control disorders. CBT works to teach healthy coping mechanisms and methods for managing these impulses in more positive ways.

It may be necessary to avoid situations, people, or places that may tempt the individual to reengage in previous behaviors as well. For instance, just as an alcoholic should stay out of a bar, a kleptomaniac should probably avoid high-risk stores that might be tempting to steal from until effective life skills or coping plans are firmly established. Negative thoughts and emotions are transformed into positive ones through CBT, and self-esteem increases as well. Stress management is also addressed during CBT as acute stress can make it more difficult to control impulses that may have negative consequences. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry reported that CBT can actually effectively reverse dysfunctions, or the negative chemical changes in the nervous system and brain that are related to anxiety and fear.

Relaxation techniques, such as meditation, yoga, or breathing exercises, may be useful to learn how to diffuse stressful situations and anxiety. It is also important to learn as much as you can about the disorder and what to expect during treatment and recovery in order to prevent relapse, or a return to the negative behaviors. Peer support and 12-Step programs exist for all different disorders, including drug and alcohol abuse, as well as compulsive shopping, gambling, sexual behaviors, and more. Ongoing support is important for long-term recovery.

Numerous recreational opportunities and luxury amenities provided by Black Bear Lodge make up the ideal setting for healing and recovering from an impulse control disorder, a substance abuse disorder, or a combination of both. Highly trained professional staff members can conduct a comprehensive and confidential assessment in order to develop an individualized care plan. Call an admissions coordinator today to learn more.

The Difference between Kleptomania and Shoplifting Addiction

Each year around 27 million people shoplift in the United States.² This theft is the reason for nearly $49 billion dollars’ worth of loss.³ Reasons for shoplifting vary, and many are connected to mental health and wellness.

A person may shoplift because he or she has any of the following:

• Personal financial struggles
• Kleptomania
• Other impulse-control issues
• Shoplifting addiction
• The need to financially support a drug or alcohol addiction

Shoplifting is a crime, but it can also be a sign that a person needs help, understanding, and professional support. Treatment for mental health and substance use disorders exists, is effective, and can make a real difference in your or a loved one’s life. Learn more about shoplifting addiction and kleptomania. Learn where and how you can find real help.

What Is Kleptomania?

Kleptomania is a rare condition. It is an impulse-control condition that causes the affected person to be unable to resist stealing objects even if the objects are unneeded. A person with kleptomania does not plan to steal items in advance. He or she often feels great remorse after the anxiety and lots of anxiety before and during. There is a great deal of tension before committing theft and a sense of relief after the theft is complete. However, this relief is often tempered by guilt and regret.

Like other mental health disorders, kleptomania may be accompanied by a substance use disorder as a person tries to relieve pre-theft anxiety or post-theft guilt. This isn’t a real solution to any problem and complicates mental health and treatment. Although individuals with kleptomania may not initially be able to control their impulses to steal, they can make the choice to get professional help and change these automatic behaviors. Kleptomania doesn’t have to rule a person’s actions, emotions or life.

What Is Shoplifting Addiction?

A shoplifting addiction is similar to kleptomania.

A person with a shoplifting addiction will experience the following:

• An overwhelming desire to shoplift items
• A constant tension and pressure to shoplift with repetitive thoughts about shoplifting
• A very brief time of relief after shoplifting

This is because, for some people, shoplifting provides a rush or “high.” They experience a flood of feel-good chemicals similar to what occurs when a person uses drugs or alcohol. They begin to seek this experience again and again, looking for the “high” rather than the merchandise they are taking.

As with any addiction, a primary symptom is continuing to use a substance or engage in a behavior despite experiencing negative consequences. The action begins to grow beyond a person’s control. However, as with kleptomania, professional treatment and support provides real avenues for healing and recovery.

Should I Seek Professional Help for Shoplifting Addiction or Kleptomania?

No matter the reason for shoplifting, it isn’t fun. Even people who experience temporary relief from anxiety or feel “high” after the act find themselves trapped by negative emotions and the need to shoplift again. Neither shoplifting addiction nor kleptomania get better on their own. So when is it time to get help?

You may be afraid to seek help for your compulsive shoplifting, drug use, or mental health concern. Don’t let stigma hold you back. Millions of people shoplift, and millions more struggling with addiction and mental health issues. Treatment is compassionate and confidential, and it works.

Call Black Bear at 706-909-9811 to learn more about kleptomania, addiction, and your best course of action. You don’t have to struggle with any of this alone.

By Alanna Hilbink, Contributing Writer

Causes for Compulsive Shopping

All addictions have the same basic symptoms. Obsession, compulsion, loss of control, and continued use in the face of negative consequences are all hallmarks of addiction. People can develop addictions to substances, behaviors, or activities. Some of these behaviors or activities may be normal, everyday occurrences such as eating or shopping, which can make it much harder to determine if there is a problem with addiction.

There are several indicative behaviors that can identify a person as a shopping addict. Engaging in any “shopping binge” creates a feeling of euphoria or a “high” for the addicted individual.

A shopping addict will engage in their addiction even when it’s become obvious that spending is against their own best interests. As with all addictions, shopping becomes the person’s main way of coping with stress, to the point where they continue to shop excessively even when it is clearly having a negative impact on other areas of their life. As with other addictions, finances and relationships are damaged, yet the shopping addict feels unable to stop or even control their spending.

Reasons Behind Compulsive Shopping

Most causes for compulsive shopping are psychological. Generally, a person will be having emotions of loneliness, depression, feel out of control in a particular area, and seek to spend money in order to relieve the stress. Spending addiction is a symptom or flashing red-light warning sign that there are deep-rooted feelings one is trying to avoid facing. An addict indulges themselves in shopping to help numb those troubling feelings- for a while.

To that end, some behaviors and emotions have been associated with as potential causes of shopping addiction, such as:

• A reaction to disappointment, stress, anger, or fear by shopping
• A feeling that one’s spending habits are out of control and are causing friction or conflict in one’s family, relationships
• Feeling a sense of euphoria as well as anxiety while shopping
• Experiencing a sense of getting away with something forbidden while shopping
• Feeling severe guilt or remorse about having gone shopping, especially if it contradicts promises made to one’s self or a loved one
• Buying things that are never or almost never used—in other words, buying for no reason other than to spend
• Lying about one’s extensive shopping habits to friends and family
• A preoccupation with credit cards and finances built around how much one has spent, how much one will have to spend on shopping, and creative juggling of various accounts to make shopping possible.

Compulsive spending is sometimes hard to determine because almost everyone shops to some degree, but only about 6 percent of the U.S. population is thought to have these compulsive addictions.

It thus should be noted that there are negative behaviors and reactions associated with shopping that lead to feelings of distress but that do not constitute a shopping addiction, compulsion, or disorder such as buyer’s remorse.

However, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has regarded behavioral disorders like shopping addiction to be reasonable disorders because they have common conditions with other compulsive behaviors that do not feature a stimulus one puts into their body (i.e. drugs, alcohol, tobacco). These are: A sense of arousal before going shopping followed by pleasure or gratification while shopping and a loss of arousal as well as experiencing feelings of remorse after shopping.

Shopping Addiction Treatment

Those suffering from a compulsive buying disorder can seek shopping addiction treatment from a treatment center, therapist, or psychologist despite the lack of a quantified, well-defined diagnosis since the underlying issues are indeed psychological.

Please call our toll free number at 706-909-9811 if you have any questions concerning the causes of compulsive spending or ways to help treat this addictive behavior.

Sources

• ¹ Black, D. A Review of Compulsive Buying Disorder. World Psychiatry 6.1. 2007.
• ² “Shoplifting Statistics.” National Association for Shoplifting Prevention. 2014.
• ³ Reilly, Katie. “Shoplifting and Other Fraud Cost Retailers Nearly $50 Billion Last Year.” Time. 22 Jun. 2017.
• ⁴ Ploskin, Daniel, “What Are Impulse Control Disorders?” PsychCentral. 17 July 2016.