Compulsive buying in outline

Abstract

In spite of a hundred year long history of scientific research compulsive buying has been a hardly known phenomenon until today. Ambiguous scientific information makes it impossible to classify compulsive buying as a separate mental disorder. Recently many researchers have noticed phenomenological compatibility of compulsive buying with behavioural addictions. Nowadays, there is reasonable grounds that compulsive buying disorder can be defined as an addiction. There are many similarities occurring between a consumer type behaviours in compulsive buyers and a pathologic consumption of psychoactive substances which included the obsessive need to consumer or a compulsion to consume, personal dependence and loss of control over self-behaviour, as well as tendencies to the consumption increase. Compulsive buying disorder differs in its course from the compulsive behaviours. A strong compulsion to make a given activity, often impossible to restrain is associated with overwhelming but acceptable desire to purchase a specific item. Due to the latest information about the described phenomenon, it has been decided to present current knowledge of adequate classifications, epidemiology and therapy of compulsive buyers. In the article authors' own standpoint as regards pathogenesis and potential risk factors was described.

Spanish validation of the pathological buying screener in patients with eating disorder and gambling disorder

“…As a consequence of this excessive behavior, individuals with PB suffer significant psychological distress and legal/financial problems (Müller, Mitchell, & de Zwaan, 2013). No consensus has been reached regarding the classification of PB (Zadka & Olajossy, 2016) did not categorize PB as a mental disorder (Piquet-Pessôa, Ferreira, Melca, & Fontenelle, 2014;Potenza, 2014). However, PB is often clinically classified as a behavioral addiction, due to its shared phenotype with other recognized behavioral addictions, such as gambling disorder (GD; Grant, Potenza, Weinstein, & Gorelick, 2010;Kellett & Bolton, 2009;Müller et al, 2019).…”

Shopping Outcome Expectancies Questionnaire – development and psychometric properties

“…Almost every independent adult, and even teenagers, engage in shopping activities. However, it has been shown that some consumers become excessively involved, which leads to several psychological, health, social and legal problems [9][10][11][12]. Studies show a relationship between excessive shopping and low well-being [12][13][14][15], sense of guilt, alienation, loneliness and marital problems [16][17][18].…”

“…Prawie każda samodzielna dorosła osoba, a nawet nastolatkowie angażują się w aktywność zakupową. Jak się jednak dowodzi, część konsumentów angażuje się nadmiernie, co prowadzi do szeregu problemów o charakterze psychologicznym, zdrowotnym, społecznym i prawnym [9][10][11][12]. Badania wskazują na związek nadmiernego kupowania z obniżonym samopoczuciem [12][13][14][15], poczuciem winy, wyobcowania, samotności i problemami małżeńskimi [16][17][18].…”

Association patterns of cannabis abuse and dependence with risk of problematic non-substance-related dysregulated and addictive behaviors

“…However, compulsive buying is more prevalent in females, despite the fact it also overlaps with externalizing behaviors and related traits, and evidence shows it comprises at least some of the components considered prototypical of behavioral addictions. These components include weakened control despite negative consequences, tolerance, withdrawal, and craving [ 80 – 82 ]. Its higher prevalence in females has been related to the observation that buying is used as an overt emotional regulation strategy to cope with or scape from negative affective states [ 28 ].…”