Unit 46
　　Shopaholics of Our Times
　　In trying to keep up with the Jones, many people buy more than they can really afford. For some who purchase many items they neither need or use, however, there is more than merely trying to keep up with the Jones going on. These people have a compulsive shopping disorder, addicted to going to malls and buying things they really don't need. They spend a lot of time juggling accounts and bills to be able to continue to shop for more things and lie to others about the amount of shopping done and the amount of money spent.
　　Compulsive shopping is the uncontrollable desire to purchase items. In a society that celebrates spending and credit, this behavior is usually looked upon as a joke rather than a serious problem. Shopaholics are often viewed as merely being financially irresponsible and therefore left on their own with no support in dealing with their problem.
　　Studies indicate that as many as 1 in 12 people in the US suffer from shopaholism with 80%-90% of those suffering from it being women. The typical compulsive buyer is a woman in her early to mid-30s who has a number of credit cards and whose family earns a low to middle income.
　　The shopaholism can have devastating effects. It often leads to financial problems, such as overspending and can also create mental and emotional difficulties. Mental health professionals do not consider compulsive shopping an "addiction" due to the fact that there is no physical dependency as you would find with drugs or alcohol.
　　Compulsive shopping typically occurs in a continuing viscous cycle. It's usually set off by depression or some other emotional distress such as boredom, disappointment, anger or fear. When these emotions come, they set off an impulse for crazy shopping which gives a sense of relief. When they reach a depressed state, they're extremely susceptible to advertising and will buy anything that they feel will make them more attractive, powerful or secure. Following the purchase, however, there is a letdown usually followed by guilt over the wasted money or increasing debt. This guilt and stress leads to another round of depression, which begins the compulsive shopping cycle all over again.
　　Treatment for shopaholism can be more complex than treating a physical addiction like drugs or alcohol. While there are a number of steps a compulsive shopper can take on their own to help reduce their shopping to normal levels, ultimately professional psychological help is needed to overcome the problem.