binge shopping

There are few things Americans like to do more, especially on a Sunday or Saturday, than go shopping. But a new study released overnight suggests that it actually can be a clinical disorder for millions of Americans. ABC Christianne Klein has more It's a guilty pleasure for almost all of us buying and spending more than we bargained for But, when does it become a compulsive disorder? A shopping addiction? 'It's not necessarily a material need, it's just try to fill up an emotional need' Good Morning America recently interviewed this compulsive shopper, who asked to remain anonymous. She said she sold her apartment and drained her 401K to finance her shopping habits. 100% of the time I've regret, remorse, guilt... Americans spend nearly 4 trillion dollars in retail sales every year, and historically more women have been accused of catastrophic spending. It could have been triggered by anxiety, depression, boredom, anger... It could also be triggered by seeing something on TV... I've spent 40,000$ on shoes and I have no place to live? I will literally be 'the old woman who lived in her shoes' 58,000$ Why? I don't know, it's compulsive, I can't help it! It may be women on TV, but a new study in this month's issue of the "American journal of psychiatry" suggests that men are just as likely to suffer from this addiction When I really run into a bargain, it's like... that's when I get compulsive. I can probably spend hours, I can probably spend half a Saturday shopping We were surprised to find that men engaged in compulsive buying, or compulsive shopping, just about as often as women. It was a figure of 6% for women, and 5½ % for men, which was very surprising. An astounding 15 million Americans suffer from compulsive shopping disorder. And this study suggests both sexes are paying the price. And that price can be extremely high, Beyond the obvious financial implications, you can also have problems with leading or feeding to depression and it can even rip apart families. It's a very serious problem. So, the big question is, how do you know the difference between somebody who just spends a lot, like me, and somebody who maybe has a problem? Well, if you just enjoy going to the mall every once in a while it's not a problem. The big issues are, if it affects your personal finances, if it affects your personal life, your professional life, if you lose a job because you're shopping too much, it's a problem. If your family and friends don't see you as much because you're shopping too much, it's a problem. And if your family and friends, should you intervene? Is there something you can do? Can you get help? Well, people really need to take care of the problem themselves, A lot of people try antidepressants, that works in some cases but the problem itself is at the root of it, What is making you spend so much? What's making you shop? Until you've figured that out, you can cut up your credit cards, you can do everything else, it's not gonna solve the problem. It's so fascinating, Christianne, thank you.