Compulsive buying is a disorder which may be disguised as a leisure activity. For some, shopping is more than a trip to the mall. Impulse Control Disorders describes compulsive buying as when peoples, “lives are organized around a variety of shopping experiences and whose behavior has prompted concerns that it can lead to a clinical disorder” (book). Rebecca Bloomwood provides an example of someone who displays characteristics of having this compulsive disorder. She demonstrates an irresistible impulse to shop, the loss of control when she is shopping, and the inability to stop despite negative consequences. (book).
“A man will never love you or treat you as well as a store,” are words said by Rebecca Bloomwood. Confessions of a Shopaholic
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When she finally convinced herself to leave the store without buying anything, the mannequins began to talk to her. They were telling her that she needed to buy the scarf, otherwise she would be unhappy. Eventually, Rebecca caved and bought the scarf. Rebecca faced many different psychological consequences like this. She would also find herself rationalizing why she was buying something or why she needed to shop. Impulse Control Disorders speaks on how one who is facing compulsive buying may be facing comorbidity with other psychological disorders such as: major depression and other mood disorders (book). Rebecca’s compulsive buying could have eventually resulted in her having comorbidity with different diagnoses if she was unable to get control of her addiction to shopping. For Rebecca’s family and friends, her psychological consequences not only affected her, but them as well. For the people who were close to Rebecca – like her roommate and her boyfriend – it was hard for them to see her convincing herself everything was okay and that she did not need help. For example, her roommate asked her on many occasions to attend Shopaholics Anonymous and made her promise to attend at one point (movie). Regarding the medical consequences seen from compulsive buying, the main issue is where the money people have is going. For people facing compulsive buying, they would rather spend their money on that green scarf they saw in the store than the needed medical attention. While there were no direct examples of this within Confessions of a Shopaholic, it is to believe Rebecca would have been able to spend her money on seeking medical attention than a new item of clothing for her closet. This would affect one’s family as no family wants to watch their family member prioritizing