By Corinna Underwood

Compulsive shopping is not just a problem that some women have – it seems that men are just as likely to suffer from it, say researchers from Stanford University, USA. About 5% of adults in the USA say they cannot refrain from shopping for stuff they probably don’t want or need.

The traditional view of women suffering from compulsive buying is probably the result of most studies being done mainly on women. Women are also more likely to admit to compulsive shopping than men. Surprisingly, more people from lower incomes suffer from compulsive shopping than people from higher incomes.

Compulsive shoppers enjoy the buzz of shopping and browsing for the things – they experience a ‘high’ from it. This is followed by distress and remorse when the person realizes that money was spent on things that would never be used.

Compulsive buying is as prevalent as many other mental disorders. One recent study at Stanford University Medical Center has shown some results with citalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor that is approved for use as an antidepressant, for reducing compulsive shopping disorder.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 18 Oct 2006
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.