The purchases themselves usually become inconsequential. People with impulse control disorders report urges that are much more powerful than normal, Black says, citing one patient who exhibited compulsive shopping and kleptomania. It's almost palpable the way she describes her uncontrollable urge to shop or steal. You can almost touch it. Most notable, he says, is the possible relationship between compulsive shopping and pathological gambling, which may demonstrate how cultural forces shape an individual's underlying predisposition for such behavior.
Compulsive shopping is almost exclusively a women's disorder.
In compulsive gambling, you see almost the reverse, although not quite as extreme. He suggests that gender norms may influence which behavior people turn to as they seek to fulfill a need that may be innate. There are certain requirements that a society has to meet in order for us to see compulsive shoppers. There has to be a market economy with lots of available goods, as well as easy access to credit and disposable income. In other settings, individuals may find different outlets for uncontrolled impulses.