Compulsive buying

Two weeks before Eid, and the guard at the gate in Uttara, Kader bhai, is holding up a third parcel before noon. “Bhabi, another one. The delivery boy knows my name now.”

Sharna, 34, laughs and takes it upstairs. Her husband and his brother are at work, her mother-in-law is at her daily Quran class, and the flat is quiet. The parcel goes into the wardrobe with the others: a jamdani she watched on a Facebook live sale at midnight, glass churi in six colours, a non-stick pan set, three of the same kurti in different blues.

When her sister-in-law finds the stack, she jokes, “Bhabi, are you opening a shop?” Sharna laughs too. Then she goes to the bathroom and cries, because the credit card bill is due, she has moved money from the household savings twice, and the buying is the only part of the day that feels like anything.

An illustration drawn from common experience. The person is invented; the pattern is not.

Understanding compulsive buying

Compulsive buying, also called buying-shopping disorder, is a pattern of repeated, hard-to-resist urges to buy, with buying that goes beyond need or budget, brief relief or excitement, and then guilt, hiding, debt and conflict at home. In the ICD-11 coding tool it is listed as an example of other specified impulse control disorders. It is not a matter of vanity or bad character. It often travels with low mood, anxiety or loneliness, and online shopping and live sales make it faster and easier to hide.

How common is compulsive buying?

There is no Bangladeshi figure. A meta-analysis of 40 studies from 16 countries estimated compulsive buying at 4.9% in representative adult samples, and 8.3% among university students. Being younger and female was linked to a greater tendency, and the estimates varied widely with the measures used.

Signs and symptoms of compulsive buying

• Buying things you do not need, then hiding them
• Strong urges to buy when you feel low, bored or lonely
• A short lift after buying, followed by guilt or shame
• Debt, borrowing, or secret withdrawals from shared savings
• Arguments at home about money or parcels

Treatment for compulsive buying

A 2023 systematic review found that group cognitive behavioural therapy reduced compulsive buying symptoms. Medication studies, with SSRI antidepressants or topiramate, did not show them to be better than placebo for the buying itself, though the review noted poor methods and low quality of reporting in the studies. A psychiatrist will check for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD and hoarding, because treating these is part of the care. Practical steps help therapy work: unsubscribing from live sales, removing saved cards, a waiting rule before any purchase, and a trusted person to talk to about money.

What getting better can look like

Sharna’s next Eid might be one where she buys one saree with her husband at the market, chosen together in daylight, and a wardrobe slowly emptied by giving the unopened parcels to her nieces and the women in her building.

Common questions about compulsive buying

Is shopping addiction a real disorder?

Yes, it is a recognised clinical problem, though not a stand-alone ICD-11 diagnosis. Compulsive buying, or buying-shopping disorder, is listed in the ICD-11 coding tool as an example of other specified impulse control disorders. It involves repeated urges to buy that are hard to control and cause distress, debt or conflict.

What is the treatment for compulsive buying?

Group cognitive behavioural therapy is the treatment with some supporting evidence so far, though the studies are few and of limited quality. Medication has not been shown to beat placebo for the buying itself, but treating any depression or anxiety alongside it is important.

When to see a psychiatrist

If buying is causing debt, secrecy or arguments at home, or if you buy to escape feeling low, please book an appointment. If money worries have left you with thoughts of harming yourself, call 999 or go to the nearest emergency department now.

Care here is personal: built around your history, your health and what you want to change, and reviewed with you as it goes.

Sources

• Maraz et al., Addiction, 2016 (PMID 26517309)
• Müller et al., Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 2023 (PMID 37450373)