Deceit, debt and depression plague the lives of the shopping addicted. Sufferers can shop their way into despair and broken relationships while our materialistic world smiles on their behavior because there are no outward signs of a problem. The American Psychiatric Association doesn’t name compulsive shopping as an addiction, although millions of Americans face shopping related bankruptcy, divorce, and incarceration. The burden of the disorder can lead to such psychological disruption that some addicts cannot bear the humiliation of their circumstances and actually end their lives. The need to purchase items is ever present, and like a food addict who must daily face food, a shopping addict must seek consistent support to overcome temptation.
Read the full article here: Confessions of Shopaholics
Carrie Rattle is a Principal at BehavioralCents.com, a website for women focused on mind and money behaviors. She has worked in the financial services industry for 20+ years and hopes to inspire women to better prepare themselves for financial independence.