These are people who think about shopping all day long. Many of these people start thinking about shopping in response to emotional difficulties, for example a fight with their spouse or work problems. An estimated 2 to 8 percent of Americans are compulsive buyers, the numbers varying depending on how researchers define the condition. Symptoms include frequent preoccupation with buying, frequent buying of unneeded items, spending more than can be afforded and shopping for longer periods than initially intended. While shopping, compulsive buyers feel a rush of excitement, which typically leads to exhaustion and the onset of depression once the episode has ended.
Shopping also can bring on distress and guilt, and some individuals return the items they purchased.
Compulsive buyers usually are disturbed by their shopping binges, but the magnitude varies by person. The condition has been found in men and women at all income levels. Compulsive buying causes a tremendous strain on friends and family, both economically and emotionally, as individuals with the condition stop socializing, develop difficulties at work and develop enormous debt. Technology has expanded purchasing opportunities, increasing the temptations for the compulsive shopper, first with cable networks devoted to shopping and more recently with Internet commerce. Growing availability of credit also is blamed for the condition's prevalence, as are economic trends in the nation's youth.