14 DAY TRIAL // A recent study conducted by scientists at the Stanford University in California found that not only women are to "blame" for compulsive buying disorder because both sexes are almost equally shop addicts. If previous studies found that 90% of the shopaholics are women, the current report published in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that binge buying disorder affects 6% of women and 5,5% of men.
In conclusion, "the widespread opinion that most compulsive buyers are women may be wrong," stated leader of the study Lorrin Koran, expert in Psychiatry and Behavior at Stanford University in California. People with compulsive buying disorder spend enormous amounts of money on various things, especially clothes, which they will never use or wear.
Due to this addiction to spend money on whatever they lay eyes on in a shop, compulsive buyers often experience bankruptcy or left with major debts. Binge shoppers may become penniless and, besides this, other consequences may be: divorce or failed relationships, peculation and even suicide attempts.
The fanatic shopper feels great when buying various things and spending money on everything he sees and wants to have. But afterwards, the spending addict becomes to feel guilty about what he/she has done and this is when all the emotional problems occur. "It's afterward, when you realize that you spent money that you didn't have or you argue with your husband about why you have all these clothes in your closet that you never wear. That's when you regret it," explained researcher Koran.
But the big surprise of this study does not lie in the 'symptoms' or 'outcomes' of the compulsive shopping disorder, but in the fact that men were found to be as addicted to the 'bad habit' as women are. "The difference that we observed between the prevalence in women and men is quite small and contrasts with the marked difference reported in clinical trials, in which women constituted 80%-95% of the participants," pointed out the team involved in the research.
However, a difference still exists and it is related to what kind of products a woman would buy as compared to a man. If the old women's fascination with clothes, jewelry and make-up is commonly known, men tend to buy modern and high technology items and devices. "Men tend to buy tech items, cameras, CDs, books, tools and gadgets. Women tend to buy clothes, jewelry, makeup, items for the homes, craft goods."
"They'll buy those consumer goods that symbolize a part of their ideal self," explained British researcher Helga Dittmar, Senior Lecturer of Psychology at the University of Sussex. Usually, shopaholics try to improve their self-image and self-esteem through spending money on various and expensive things. This is the key-factor which leads to the break out of the compulsive shopping disorder.
Overshopping is a disorder and must be treated as one. If until now, binge shopping was not considered such a major threat to population, it is time both people and medical experts became more aware of the severity of the addiction and seek help for treating it.
Helga Dittmar concluded: "there has been a tendency to belittle 'shopping addicts.' It's time that the serious consequences of compulsive buying - psychological, social, financial - are highlighted. It's always important to encourage people who have these types of disorders to seek treatment. There are things we can do to help."