Addiction to shopping fueled by online retailing should be classed as a mental health condition, psychiatrists claim. Researchers said that about 5 per cent of adults in developed countries — more than 2.5 million Britons — had some form of buying-shopping disorder (BSD), an extreme form of craving.
The World Health Organisation does not classify it as a mental health condition, unlike gambling and video game addiction, pyromania and kleptomania. A classification leads health services to devise specific approaches to treatment.
Online shopping addiction can lead to higher rates of anxiety and depression, according to a study by researchers in Germany, so it should be recognised as an official illness.
Being addicted to online shopping should be recognised as an actual mental disorder, psychotherapists have argued.
Researchers say they can pinpoint distinct symptoms and characteristics of the condition and say how it affects the mind.
Dr Müller, a psychotherapist at Hannover Medical School in Germany, and her colleagues said the condition had gone unrecognized for too long.
In a study they looked at evidence from 122 patients seeking help for their online shopping addictions and found they had higher than usual rates of depression and anxiety. They argue the rise of online stores; apps and home delivery have added an entirely new dimension to the concept of a shopaholic.
Compulsive Buying Disorder often happens alongside other mood, anxiety or eating disorders, or substance abuse. It often appears in the late teens or early twenties, and usually gets worse over time.
