Pathological shopping is a form of psychosis, a form of impulse control, the cause of which is still unknown, but some studies have shown that genetic factors such as dopamine problems can lead to psychosis. Patients will not be able to control the impulse to shop and shop indiscriminately, even though they know they have bought too much and have tried to control their shopping behavior, but the more they restrain themselves, the greater their desire to shop, and finally they shop out of control and regret afterwards. The more they buy, the more they buy, even to the point of cluttering the house. There are no fixed categories of things that patients buy, some are expensive and some are cheap, and none of the things they buy are essential. In addition, patients spend all their money on shopping, even asking friends and relatives to borrow money, constantly using credit cards, and eventually running up huge debts, although the ways to break the law are less common.
Because of the satisfaction that comes from shopping, patients pursue this satisfaction, driving them to continue shopping and not stop once they buy. This can be described as a compulsive behavior, but to a psychiatrist, the phenomenon is more akin to impulse control. There are many conditions associated with impulse control, such as stealing, gambling, and pathological arson, and pathological shopping is one of these impulse control phenomena.
Pathological shopping is treated with a combination of medications to reduce the desire to buy, and behavioral and psychological treatments in the long term.
1. medications reduce the patient’s impulse to buy. Generally, a new generation of antidepressants, namely selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are most effective in patients with uncontrolled impulsivity. Patients take them for about 2 to 3 weeks, and the urge to shop subsides significantly.
2. Keep a shopping diary
Also, there are various ways to strengthen For example, the patient can keep a shopping diary every day, noting what he bought that day, how much money he spent, in what state of mind he went shopping, how he felt when he came back, whether he bought anything unrealistic, etc. He can write down all the behaviors, fantasies, memories, plans, etc. related to shopping. In this way, the details of the patient’s life can be identified. If so, the doctor can use these details to strategically reduce the patient’s desire to buy.
3. Reminder cards, such as “Your strength and will are very weak right now, and you need encouragement from others to stop your cravings right now,” can be placed in the patient’s wallet and next to the credit card to remind the patient to stop shopping recklessly.
4. Family members manage income
Also, use “No money policy”. After the patient is on payroll, the money is all given to family members for safekeeping. Patients are given only $50 to $100 per day to live on and all credit cards are cancelled, and those that cannot be cancelled are given to family members to look after.
5. Family support
The doctor also invites family members to be therapists. In addition to managing the patient’s money and encouraging the patient, the family can also drop their work and talk to the patient in their daily lives to reduce the patient’s desire to buy.
6. Construct the right values
Let the patient know The value of “buy only what you need” and the patient’s recognition that his impulse to buy is unjustified, absurd, and distorted. If the patient’s pathological shopping problem is causing poor interpersonal relationships or conflict with family members, the doctor will also treat the patient in family therapy.
7. Psychotherapy
Physicians also provide psychotherapy to patients.
The doctor also treats the patient psychologically. When a patient is anxious, nervous, unhappy, or lonely, he or she may resort to shopping for pleasure, and the doctor will try to get the patient to find happiness in another way. The patient’s purchase may be a rebellious act against his parents, driven by a subconscious emotional complex.