Compulsive buying, compulsive hoarding, and obsessive-compulsive disorder

Abstract

McElroy, Keck, and Phillips (1995) hypothesized that compulsive buying belongs to a compulsive-impulsive spectrum and should be related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This study compared compulsive buyers to noncompulsive buyers on hoarding and OCD symptoms. Compulsive buyers scored higher on both types of symptoms, but the relationship between buying and OCD was mainly mediated by hoarding. A measure of buying that emphasized financial consequences correlated highly with measures emphasizing the psychological function of possessions and the acquisition of free things (e.g., handouts at a lecture, free newspapers, etc.). The latter 2 buying measures were more closely associated with hoarding and OCD than the buying measure emphasizing financial concerns. A reconceptualization of compulsive buying is proposed incorporating the broader construct of acquisition.