Shopping addiction, also known as onyomania, is a psychological illness that should be taken seriously. According to scientific research, shopping increases the hormone serotonin, which provides happiness. Symptoms of shopping addiction were found in 47.9 percent of women and 37.4 percent of men. People who are addicted to shopping experience positive emotions after shopping and as time passes, shopping becomes a solution to get away from bad feelings. As the picture progresses, the individual begins to feel guilt and regret after the act of shopping.
What is Shopping Addiction (Onyomania)?
People with shopping addiction aim to get out of any problem with a momentary feeling of well-being by shopping and to get away from the problem. However, since this is a temporary feeling, after a while, the person turns to shopping again to try to relax with the same method. The underlying psychological problem underlying shopping addiction must first be identified for treatment.
People want to shop to feel good about themselves, but addiction is different. It is a form of behavior. After the purchase, the person experiences a feeling of pleasure and relaxation, but after a while they start to experience feelings of regret and guilt.
What are the symptoms of shopping addiction?
In shopping addiction, called onyomania , there is an obsessive, impulsive behavior pattern. It usually manifests itself with symptoms that start with an uncontrollable and uncontrolled desire to shop excessively, spending money, and an intense mental preoccupation with spending excessive money.
We can list the symptoms of shopping addiction that manifest themselves for some reasons as follows;
- Wanting to spend money in situations where the person feels bad
- Relaxation, feeling empowered and peaceful when shopping
- Significant increase in the amount of money spent
- Negative situations in the family or close environment of the person who spends money
- Making more purchases than calculated
- Inability to stop oneself after starting to spend
- Criticism from others due to excessive shopping
In addition, psychologically, people often feel the need to shop when they feel angry, anxious or sad, they feel joy, pleasure and euphoria while shopping, they feel relieved when they see the shopping packages, and in the long run, feelings of guilt, distress and shame begin to emerge. After a while, the amount of money spent and the shopping becomes a problem in the person's life and the situation becomes a sick vicious circle.
How is shopping addiction treated?
In addition to being a psychological disorder that needs to be treated, shopping addiction is actually a serious type of addiction. It is a common form of behavior today. In treatment, medications that control the person's behavior and anti-depressants may be recommended. In addition, cognitive behavioral therapies and EMDR therapy are extremely useful in resolving the traumas that cause addiction. Thus, they are highly helpful in the treatment of the disease.
