Internet Shopping from a Psychiatric Perspective

Abstract

Compulsive buying is characterized by extreme preoccupation with buying, by recurrent episodic purchasing of consumer goods that are unneeded, by losing control over spending, and by continued buying despite harmful consequences, such as psychological distress, familial conflicts, interference in social or occupational functioning, and debts. Compulsive buying episodes serve as a maladaptive coping strategy to satisfy emotional needs. Individuals with compulsive buying report increased material values endorsement and experience high psychiatric comorbidity, with the most common comorbid disorders being social anxiety, depression, hoarding disorder, binge eating disorder, and substance use disorders. A population-based survey estimated the point prevalence of compulsive buying to be approximately 6% in the United States. Compulsive buying may occur in different buying environments, including traditional offline buying in stores and buying on the Internet. Research on online compulsive buying, however, is still relatively sparse. It is likely that psychiatric aspects that play a role in traditional offline compulsive buying may also be of importance in online compulsive buying. [ Psychiatr Ann . 2014; 44(8):384–387.]