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Shopping Frenzy: Shopaholics can’t stop shopping. debt or not.
Milena KalinEditor Economics
For many, shopping is the most normal thing in the world. A new pair of pants there. A new jacket here. The sweater would also go well with it. But shoppers are not a leisurely hobby for everyone. For some, shopping becomes an addiction. And so to the problem. Especially financially.
As with Emma N.* (56). She suffers from shopping addiction. “It was a gradual process,” she says. “At some point I no longer felt comfortable if I didn’t buy anything.”
Stressful job as a trigger
Emma N. jetted around the world for her job. «I worked in management. It was very, very stressful.” This has favored the development of shopping addiction. She does not want to reveal more about her job. She also doesn’t want to show her face out of shame.
“When you buy a thing, it breaks like a dam.”Emma N* (56)
On her business trips, N. did power shopping, as she calls it, at airports. She spent thousands of francs on clothes, bags and shoes. How does that feel? “When you buy something, a dam breaks. I can’t stop,” she says.
At that time, Emma N. moved in a very superficial world. Her job involved large sums of money. “I’ve lost touch with money.”
After burnout and losing her job, she had her shopping addiction treated as an inpatient at the University Psychiatric Clinics (UPK) in Basel in 2014. The only contact point in Switzerland where you can have behavioral addictions treated as an inpatient.
It doesn’t matter what you wear
There all their clothes were packed in garbage bags. Every morning, the caregiver pulled out a top and pants for Emma N. to wear. “They wanted to show me that it doesn’t matter what you wear,” remembers N. The urge to buy new things has subsided. “That was the greatest liberation.”
Now she has her expenses under control. And pay off their debts. But the addiction is not completely gone. “I’ve said goodbye to that idea,” she says. The bargain period is particularly difficult.
She’s doing a debt settlement at the moment. “That’s why I don’t have that much money,” she says. She does not reveal how much debt she has. N. now no longer has a credit card and no longer makes any purchases on account.
Account balance in the red
Beatrice W.* (28) has not yet done that. Her psychotherapist first raised the issue of shopping addiction four years ago when she was in therapy for anxiety. She didn’t take it seriously.
“As soon as I’ve paid my bills, I’m actually always in the red.”Yolanda W.* (28)
“As soon as I’ve paid my bills, I’m almost always in the red,” she says. Up to 3000 francs. The bank doesn’t mind. She owes only “minor” debts to her father.
Beatrice W. mainly shops online. Her inspiration: social media. Compliments rained down from everywhere. For her outfits, the furnishing of her apartment, her Mercedes A-Class. The car is leased.
No desire for returns
The parcels piled up at home. Even if not all of the dresses fit perfectly, she still kept them. “I didn’t feel like sending them back.”
Since Beatrice W. left home, she has wanted to get her addiction under control. Nevertheless, she treated herself to a lot for her apartment. «I bought a huge lounge for the balcony for CHF 1,000. I regret that now,” she says.
Beatrice W. has not been able to do without her credit card so far. “I’m afraid I can’t do without it.” Years ago, with a salary of 3,800 francs, she received a credit card with a limit of 6,000 francs. “It’s sick,” she says. Her fear also prevents her from seeking therapy for her shopping addiction.
Not just women are affected
Shopaholics are by no means always women. With the trend of online shopping, more and more men are becoming addicted. “Men like to spend their money online at auctions,” explains Christina Messerli (50), therapist at Berner Gesundheit.
The pandemic has further exacerbated the problem. “We’ve had more inquiries since Corona,” says Messerli. The main drivers are loneliness and psychological stress. “Some have found their way back to everyday life. For some, however, the behavior has derailed,” says the therapist.
A study by Employees Switzerland shows that almost 60 percent of those surveyed shop more online than before the pandemic. Online shopping has even increased significantly for one fifth.
Shopaholics are by no means always women. With the trend of online shopping, more and more men are becoming addicted. “Men like to spend their money online at auctions,” explains Christina Messerli (50), therapist at Berner Gesundheit.
The pandemic has further exacerbated the problem. “We’ve had more inquiries since Corona,” says Messerli. The main drivers are loneliness and psychological stress. “Some have found their way back to everyday life. For some, however, the behavior has derailed,” says the therapist.
A study by Employees Switzerland shows that almost 60 percent of those surveyed shop more online than before the pandemic. Online shopping has even increased significantly for one fifth.
debt or not
“With shopaholics, buying in the head is dominant,” explains Renanto Poespodihardjo (60), therapist at the UPK Basel. Addicts have strong desires, called cravings, to shop. Debt doesn’t stop many from buying. Because buying activates the reward system in the brain.
The main problem with shopping addiction: advertising everywhere. Buying is encouraged by society. The addiction is therefore hardly taken seriously. “Shopping is viewed very positively,” says Poespodihardjo. Many cannot therefore associate shopping with a mental illness such as addiction. In addition, shopaholics do not correspond to the image that society has of addicts. On the contrary: They are often particularly well dressed.
Too few counseling centers
According to Poespodihardjo, it is important that those affected have simplified access to counseling facilities. “Currently, there are far too few who specialize in shopping addiction,” he says. In addition to the UPK in Basel, those affected can also find support from addiction counseling.
Now the question is politics. “Every year there is a national campaign for gambling addiction. If you are addicted to shopping, on the other hand, nothing happens,” says Poespodihardjo.
Shopping addiction is more common than other behavioral addictions. The Federal Office of Public Health assumes that 5 percent of the population was addicted to shopping in 2019. Other studies expect more. For comparison: 0.8 percent of the population suffer from gambling addiction.
* Name changed by editors