Urge to shop a common, risky addiction
Compulsive buying impacts more people than depression, study finds
Updated: 2:32 p.m. ET Oct 16, 2006
NEW YORK - Compulsive buying may be more common among Americans than anxiety or depression, a new study suggests.
One in 20 US adults suffer adverse consequences from compulsive buying, and they make less money than those who keep their shopping under control, Dr. Lorrin M. Koran of Stanford University School of Medicine in California and colleagues found.
"The take-home message of the study is that this is a common problem with serious financial effects," Koran said. "People who have the problem should seek treatment."
Koran prefers the term "compulsive buying" to "compulsive shopping," he said, because it better conveys the seriousness of the problem. People who buy compulsively purchase things they don't need, don't use or can't afford. They lose interest in the things they buy and suffer adverse consequences, such as financial problems or family conflict. Compulsive buyers may also spend time shopping when they should be doing other things, such as working.
To gauge the prevalence of this behavior, Koran and his colleagues surveyed 2,513 adults about their shopping habits. Fifty-six percent responded and 98 percent agreed to participate.
Overall, 5.8 percent met the definition of compulsive buyers. The problem occurred just as often in men as in women, which Koran called a "surprise" given that so many more women than men seek treatment. Compulsive buyers were younger — about 40 years old, on average, vs. 48 for non-compulsive buyers — and poorer, with 54.7 percent reporting incomes under $50,000, compared to 39.3 percent of non-compulsive buyers.
While 12.9 percent of the non-compulsive buyers said they made only the minimum payment on their credit cards "often or very often," 58.3 percent of the compulsive buyers did.
"The prevalence is higher than or similar to disorders that receive considerable research and clinical attention, and it represents a sizable group suffering distress and/or functional impairment," Drs. Eric Hollander and Andrea Allen of the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City write in an editorial accompanying the study.
While compulsive buying should be treated as a medical problem, Koran's group notes, societal effects that may contribute to it, like "easy credit, inadequate money management training and skills, predatory interest rates, and dilution of family structure," should not be ignored.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15291366/
*surprising that it is not higher.*
Urge to shop a common, risky addiction
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