Talking shop

Time Out/ Well & Good/ november 2009

Psychotherapist and author Carien Karsten describes the highs and lows of shopping addiction. As Laura Groeneveld learns, being a shopaholic isn't what Hollywood might have you believe

Q: Most people love to shop. How can you tell if you've become a shopoholic?

A: A person addicted to shopping shops even when he or she can't afford to. To some extent, this applies to everyone, when you know you could have spent your money wiser. But true shopoholics continue to shop when they know they shouldn't – to the point of sneaking out to stores even if there's a debt collector on their doorstep. Their need to purchase causes damage to themselves or the people around them.

Q: What happens to shopaholics on a spending spree?

A: They get a rush, much like with an alcohol or drug addict. This ‘shopping high' is driven by dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure. When a compulsive buyer is about to make a purchase, dopamine switches on and the person feels good. Addicts want to repeat the action to feel euphoric again.

Q: Why do shopaholics need help if they feel euphoric all the time?

A: They don't [feel euphoric all the time]. As soon as a shopaholic buys something, remorse kicks in. The dopamine level sinks. It's a deception.

Q: How do you treat a shopping addict?

A: Shopaholics place too much value on buying things. My aim is to help patients focus on other activities that make them feel good. Doing that can take their mind off spending and prevent them from going on yet another shopping binge. In some cases, postponing purchases or creating a new favourite hobby isn't enough. The solution might have to be more drastic – like moving to the countryside, where there are fewer places to shop.

Q: Is shopping addiction a female problem?

A: No, but two-thirds of all shopaholics are female; women run a greater risk of becoming addicted. It's possible neurobiology plays a role here – women are also twice as likely to suffer from depression. Shopping has been a socially accepted activity for women for ages; it's something to do if you feel bad or you're bored. Madame Bovary demonstrated this.

Q: Do male and female shopping addicts buy the same stuff?

A: Women tend to go for cosmetics, bags and shoes. (I once treated a woman who owned 100 pairs of shoes.) Men tend to go for gadgets and electronics. (I remember a man who had bought his twelfth electric drill.)

Q: Do shopaholics tend to suffer in silence?

A: It often takes shopping addicts a long time before seeking professional help. They feel embarrassed, or friends and family downplay their problem. ‘Shop till you drop' is still very socially accepted. Maybe the financial crisis and the current interest in living less materialistically will change that. Interestingly, I recently treated a patient who didn't know she was entering therapy. It was her birthday and her husband said he had a surprise for her. He dropped her off at my shopoholic therapy session and said he'd pick her up later. The woman was quite surprised, as was I. But after the session she decided to continue therapy.

Need help or know someone who does? Carien Karsten offers a Shopaholics Recovery course (€75) on 5 November from 17.00-20.00 at Nieuwe Keizersgracht 58. For more information read Karsten's book, ‘Shoppen: De lust, het lijden en de lol', published by Elmar in 2003, or see carienkarsten.nl.