compulsive buying essay

Compulsive Buying Disorder: Analysis Essay

History and statistics, significance to health issues, role of the nurse, relevance to nursing practice.

Compulsive buying disorder (CBD) or oniomania is a condition that is currently attracting growing attention among medical practitioners, psychiatrists, psychologists, and physicians. Most of the past studies focusing on this illness have indicated that it affects the experiences and economic outcomes of many individuals. CBD revolves around the irresistible urge to purchase a wide range of items and products as a source of contentment for the patient. The purpose of this paper is to give a detailed analysis of this form of psychological addiction and its implication for the field of nursing.

The first definition of oniomania emerged in the field of psychology in the year 1990. This was after the successful completion of a study focusing on compulsive buying practices or behaviors. Within the last two decades, many scholars have been examining this medical issue from different perspectives. Such analysts have acknowledged that oniomania is a mental condition that human beings have dealt with for many decades.

However, it is only in the recent past when psychologists have managed to offer evidence-based ideas about the nature and harmful effects of CBD. Such scholars have also described how this medical illness “interferes with the individual’s social, professional, and occupational aspects” (Leite & Silva, 2016, p. 142). The condition is also capable of affecting a patient’s financial goals or outcomes.

In terms of statistics, several analysts have presented meaningful details regarding the predicament of oniomania. For example, Leite & Silva (2016) observed that such a health problem affected around 5-8 percent of the global population. This means that it is a major psychological issue that medical professionals and practitioners should take seriously. The condition might be making it impossible for citizens in industrialized countries to manage their income levels or engage in rewarding practices. In another study conducted by Hague, Hall, and Kellett (2016), it was reported that this psychological problem affected between 13 and 16 percent of individuals in developed regions. The percentage was quite low in Asian and African countries due to poor economic performance and reduced income.

CBD is a new topic in the field of healthcare practice. This means that many professionals and caregivers are currently unaware of the nature of this condition and how it can affect the outcomes and experiences of different citizens. A proper analysis or discussion focusing on CBD can ensure that policymakers and medical experts identify evidence-based initiatives to deal with it. The global society will also present powerful models for diagnosing CBD and making it a major psychiatric condition that requires appropriate medical support (Hadjipavlou, Hernandez, & Ogrodniczuk, 2015). This achievement will compel researchers and physicians to undertake numerous studies and eventually present superior ideas for examining oniomania is a complex health issue.

Oniomania has become a major problem that health practitioners should take into consideration. Hague et al. (2016) indicate that nurses should examine the nature of this illness and pursue appropriate philosophies for providing adequate care to the affected individuals. The nature of this disease means that practitioners will be required to engage in lifelong learning and acquire new insights regarding the complexity associated with it (Hadjipavlou et al., 2015). With such gains, nurses will be on the frontline to meet the needs of all persons affected by CBD and make it easier for them to achieve their health aims.

As described earlier, oniomania is a mental disease that experts in the field of nursing have to treat using evidence-based procedures. This practice is necessary since CBD presents a major challenge for all medical practitioners. Firstly, accepting the fact that oniomania is a major health predicament means that many professionals and practitioners will design and develop superior care delivery models to meet the needs of all people. Secondly, experts in the sector will be willing to undertake numerous research studies in an attempt to understand the complexity of CBD and every other related illness (Orkibi & Feniger-Schaal, 2019).

The proposed approach will present meaningful ideas and strategies for managing this disease and improving the delivery of psychological care. Thirdly, the nature of this condition will encourage more practitioners to embrace the power of pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy to treat or manage it (Hague et al., 2016). Finally, the complexity of oniomania is something that challenges all key stakeholders in the health sector to embrace the idea of continuous learning. Such a move will ensure that all professionals are capable of identifying and presenting evidence concepts to guide clinicians. This achievement will support the changing needs of different people facing the burden of CBD.

The above discussion has revealed that oniomania is a major mental illness that many physicians and practitioners have ignored over the years. When healthcare professionals and psychologists examine CBD from an informed perspective, chances are high that evidence-based models and therapies will emerge to offer exemplary services to more individuals. Such measures will empower them to lead high-quality lives and eventually achieve their potential.

Hadjipavlou, G., Hernandez, C. A., & Ogrodniczuk, J. S. (2015). Psychotherapy in contemporary psychiatric practice. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 60 (6), 294-300. Web.

Hague, B., Hall, J., & Kellett, S. (2016). Treatments for compulsive buying: A systematic review of the quality, effectiveness and progression of the outcome evidence. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 5 (3), 379-394. Web.

Leite, P. L., & Silva, A. C. (2016). Psychiatric and socioeconomic aspects as possible predictors of compulsive buying behavior. Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, 38 (3), 141-146. Web.

Orkibi, H., & Feniger-Schaal, R. (2019). Integrative systematic review of psychodrama psychotherapy research: Trends and methodological implications. PLoS ONE 14 (2), e0212575. Web.

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Compulsive Behaviors

Compulsive shopping: a guide to causes and treatment, reviewing the latest research on the treatment of compulsive shopping..

Posted June 27, 2022 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch

• What Is a Compulsive Behavior?
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• Compulsive shopping refers to a preoccupation with buying goods and services and spending money.
• Compulsive shopping is associated with distress, financial difficulties, reduced quality of life, and family and marital problems.
• The most promising treatment for compulsive shopping is group psychotherapy, primarily cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Published in the August issue of Current Opinion in Psychology , an article by D. W. Black reviews the latest research on the classification, assessment, and treatment of compulsive shopping.

What is Compulsive Shopping?

Compulsive shopping (sometimes called compulsive buying or shopping addiction) refers to a preoccupation with purchasing products and spending money.

Compulsive shopping shares several characteristics with other psychological disorders, including anxiety and mood disorders, substance abuse , impulse-control disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Therefore, many questions remain about how it should be classified.

More recently, compulsive shopping has been classified as a behavioral addiction . Though behavioral addictions such as gambling disorder do not involve the ingestion of addictive substances, they share some characteristics (e.g., repetitive behaviors).

How Is Compulsive Shopping Diagnosed?

According to a 2021 paper in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions , the proposed criteria for compulsive shopping include recurrent or persistent dysfunctional shopping-related thoughts and behaviors , as indicated by the following (examples in parentheses):

• Preoccupation with shopping (an irresistible urge to buy a product).
• Reduced control over buying behaviors (spending more time/money shopping than intended).
• Buying products but not using them for the purposes they were intended to serve.
• Using shopping to regulate mood (to experience a “high” or to reduce tension and boredom ).
• As a result of compulsive buying, experiencing negative consequences or impairment ( guilt , shame , debt, relationship problems).
• Negative mood and cognitive symptoms if attempting to stop (e.g., anxiety, agitation, anger , worry, rumination).
• Despite the negative consequences, continuing to engage in dysfunctional shopping behavior.

The prevalence of compulsive shopping in American adults is estimated to be between 2 and 8 percent. About 80 to 94 percent of people with this condition are female. The onset is usually in late teens or early adulthood and, according to the author, “may correspond with emancipation from the nuclear family as well as with the age at which people first establish credit.”

Compulsive shopping can be episodic or chronic. Particularly when chronic, compulsive buying is associated with financial difficulties (debt, bankruptcy, and even shoplifting and other crimes), reduced quality of life, family and marital problems, and subjective distress (e.g., due to inability to control behavior).

Compulsive Shopping: Risk Factors, Comorbidity, and Differential Diagnoses

One major risk factor for compulsive shopping is childhood adversity . This includes having a “physically abusive or neglectful parent,” an “emotionally neglectful parent who demands the child earn their love through ‘good’ behavior,” or an “absent parent who has little time or energy for the child,” but also “families that have experienced financial reversals and fixate on lost luxury.”

In these dysfunctional family environments, possessions often “achieve importance as a means of easing suffering, boosting self-esteem , or restoring lost social status.”

Compared to healthy controls, first-degree relatives of people who shop compulsively are more likely to have the same condition or other mental health issues, such as anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and substance use disorders.

As for differential diagnosis, it is important to differentiate compulsive buying from bipolar disorder , in which case the buying behavior (during mania or hypomania ) is driven by euphoria and grandiosity—and to differentiate it from schizophrenia, in which the shopping behavior is more likely to be bizarre and related to delusions.

In terms of comorbidity , research shows that anxiety, mood, substance use, and personality disorders (especially avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder) are prevalent in this group. Also prevalent are compulsive gambling, exercising, and internet use.

On “dimensional ratings,” the author notes, people with this condition “tend to have elevated scores for depression, trait impulsivity, and ratings of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , but have low self-esteem.”

And on the five-factor model of personality (the Big Five), they have lower scores on agreeableness and conscientiousness but higher scores on neuroticism and novelty-seeking.

How Is Compulsive Shopping Treated?

A variety of group therapies have been used in the treatment of compulsive buying behavior, most of which use cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques.

The goal of treatment is to “help persons interrupt and control their problematic buying behavior, establish healthy purchasing patterns, and develop healthy coping, stress management , and problem-solving skills.” Pharmacotherapy is also useful, especially to manage certain symptoms. Pharmacotherapy includes medications such as naltrexone (an opioid antagonist), memantine (an NMDA antagonist), and antidepressants , particularly serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

A systematic review of treatments for compulsive buying (17 psychotherapies and 12 pharmacotherapies) found that based on the available evidence, group psychotherapy was the “most promising treatment option.”

Concluding Thoughts

According to Black, compulsive shopping is “characterized by excessive or poorly controlled [shopping] preoccupations or urges that lead to subjective distress and can impair functioning.”

Though it is not clear whether it is better classified as an anxiety/ mood disorder or a behavioral addiction, compulsive shopping is often comorbid with anxiety disorders, mood disorders, substance abuse, and personality disorders (particularly Cluster C or anxious-fearful disorders).

The most promising treatment is group psychotherapy, which often uses elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)—e.g., identifying the cues that trigger compulsive shopping, learning the consequences of engaging in the problem behaviors, stress management, and exposure and response prevention.

Let me end with a note of caution: Frequent shopping or spending a lot of money do not necessarily indicate a compulsion. Indeed, normal buying may appear compulsive on certain occasions (e.g., during holidays, birthdays, after winning the lottery). Therefore, it is important to see a therapist, instead of self-diagnosing, if you are concerned about your shopping behavior.

To find a therapist near you, visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory .

Arash Emamzadeh attended the University of British Columbia in Canada, where he studied genetics and psychology. He has also done graduate work in clinical psychology and neuropsychology in U.S.

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When we fall prey to perfectionism, we think we’re honorably aspiring to be our very best, but often we’re really just setting ourselves up for failure, as perfection is impossible and its pursuit inevitably backfires.

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The Problem And Reason Of Compulsive Buying Disorder

• Category: Health , Life
• Topic: Disease , Shopping

Pages: 2 (697 words)

Views: 2465

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