You have a buying problem if you’re spending more money than your budget allows, hiding your purchases, neglecting other responsibilities because you are shopping, or your shopping is causing problems in your relationships.
More women are compulsive buyers than are men, but men also have the problem only they call it “collecting”. We don’t know what causes compulsive buying; there’s probably an underlying problem with anxiety or depression; finding the cause doesn’t stop the problem. Therapy focuses on changing the behavior. Access to using credit cards is removed; purchases can only be made with cash within a set budget; all on line shopping accounts are closed; the buyer never shops alone; all non-essential purchases are recorded and fully disclosed to partner or friend.
Research shows these steps can stop the spending, but the urge probably doesn’t ever go away. There’s a useful book on how to control shopping: To buy, or not to buy. As with most addictions, the buying only creates more problems.
