Shopaholism May Soon be a Recognized Disease

Shopaholics have been all over public media these days. With former  NY State health commissioner Antonia Novella's excessive spending habit, the chart topping Confessions of A Shopaholic book by Sophie Kinsella, and now a soon to be released film of the same name, shopaholics have all eyes turned their way. And while this means they better look good in Gucci justifying yet another trip to Saks, it also means that scientists are focusing on the problem of shopaholism as a technical disease.

While I have personally known several people who have professed their affliction with oniomania,  (from the Greek onios, meaning “for sale”) doctors have been reluctant to include the disease in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

True shopaholics would probably tend to disagree. When I typed in 'shopaholic' to Amazon I got hundreds of results, ranging from novels to full fledged self help guides. The problem can be serious, and in a failing economy shopaholics are faced with an even more difficult dilemma. Drastic retail price slashing is a shopaholic's dream come true, but as the economy dwindles, and their debt increases, problems will arise.  This situation is akin to forcing a dieter to babysit an slice of chocolate cake for an entire afternoon.



Not all psychiatrists take shopaholism as seriously as other compulsive disorders, however.

But without recognized doctor support is there hope for shopaholics? While there is not (yet) a magic pill that will cure sufferers of their afflictions, there are support networks,  self help books and professional therapists that will help you deal with your disorder. And as with all addictions, the first step is recognizing that you have a problem.

And for the time being if you recognize yourself as a shopaholic, put down the credit card and maybehead to a neutral zone like a library or park. And hold tight, help soon may be on the way.