Oniomania Oniomania (from Greek onios "for sale" and mania "insanity"[1]) is the te hni al term for the

he om!"lsi#e desire to sho!$ more ommonly referred to as om!"lsi#e sho!!in%$ sho!!in% addi tion$ sho!aholism$ om!"lsi#e &"yin% or '() or *"shma *yndrome+ 'om!"lsi#e sho!!in% may &e onsidered an im!"lse ontrol disorder$ an o&sessi#e, om!"lsi#e disorder$ a &i!olar disorder$[-] or e#en a lini al addi tion$ de!endin% on the lini al so"r e+ 'ontents

1 .istory and "rrent stat"s - )istin tions / *ym!toms and o"rse 0 'a"ses 0+1 1ersonal 0+- *ystemi 2 'onse3"en es 2+1 'omor&idity 4 '"lt"ral e5am!les 6 *ee also 7 8eferen es 9 :"rther readin% 1; <5ternal links

.istory and "rrent stat"s

=rae!elin ori%inally des ri&ed oniomania o#er a ent"ry a%o$ and he and (le"ler [19-0] &oth in l"ded the syndrome in their infl"ential early !sy hiatri te5t&ooks+ .o>e#er little interest >as taken in '( "ntil the 199;s$ and e#en in the -1st ent"ry om!"lsi#e sho!!in% an &e onsidered a &arely re o%nised mental illness+

8esear h in this area is only in the last de ades at hin% "! >ith that into om!ara&le areas s" h as al oholism$ eatin% disorders or dr"% a&"se+ ?here is %ro>in% e#iden e that it is a si%nifi ant and >orsenin% !ro&lem >ith serio"s onse3"en es$ emotional and finan ial$and affe tin% !erha!s as many as 7+9 !er ent of the @meri an !o!"lation+ @s ons"mer o"tlets m"lti!ly %lo&ally$ on, and off,line$ so too other areas of the >orld are at hin% "! >ith the A* in oniomania+ )istin tions

?he terms om!"lsi#e sho!!in%$ om!"lsi#e &"yin%$ and om!"lsi#e s!endin% are often "sed inter han%ea&ly$ &"t the &eha#iors they re!resent are in fa t distin t+(BataraaCan and Goff 199-) One may &"y >itho"t sho!!in%$ and ertainly sho! >itho"t &"yin%D of om!"lsi#e sho!!ers$ some /;E des ri&ed the a t of &"yin% itself as !ro#idin% a &"FF$irres!e ti#e of the %oods !"r hased+ *ym!toms and o"rse

?hree dia%nosti riteria for om!"lsi#e &"yin% ha#e &een !ro!osedD 1+ O#er, !reo "!ation >ith &"yin%G -+ distress or im!airment as a res"lt of the a ti#ityG /+ the om!"lsi#e &"yin% is not limited to hy!omani or mani e!isodes+ Hhile initially tri%%ered &y a !erha!s mild need to feel s!e ial and less lonely$ the fail"re of om!"lsi#e sho!!in% to a t"ally meet s" h needs may lead to a #i io"s y le of es alation$ >ith s"fferers e5!erien in% the hi%hs and lo>s asso iated >ith other addi tions+?he Ihi%hI of the !"r hasin% may &e follo>ed &y a sense of disa!!ointment$ and of %"ilt$!re i!itatin% a f"rther y le of im!"lse &"yin% in the 3"est for a sense of s!e ial identity+ Hith the no> addi ted !erson in reasin%ly feelin% ne%ati#e emotions like an%er and stress$ they may attem!t to self,medi ate thro"%h f"rther !"r hases$ follo>ed a%ain &y re%ret or de!ression on e they ret"rn home , leadin% to an "r%e for yet another s!ree+ @s de&t %ro>s$ so the om!"lsi#e sho!!in% may &e ome a more se reti#e a t+ @t the !oint >here &o"%ht %oods are hidden or destroyed$ &e a"se the !erson on erned feels so ashamed of their addi tion$ the !ri e of the addi tion in mental$ finan ial and emotional terms &e omes e#en hi%her+ 'a"ses 1ersonal

*ho!aholism often has roots in early e5!erien e$ >ith failed !arent, hild transa tions

leadin% !eo!le to t"rn to o&Ce ts to fill the sense of #oid and em!ty identity+'hildren >ho e5!erien e !arental ne%le t often %ro> "! >ith lo> self,esteem &e a"se thro"%ho"t m" h of their hildhood they felt "nim!ortant as !eo!le$ and t"rned to s"&stit"te omforts$ s" h as toys or food$ in om!ensation for loneliness+ @d"lts >ho de!ended on materials for emotional s"!!ort >hen they >ere m" h yo"n%er are more likely to &e ome addi ted to sho!!in% &e a"se of the on%oin% sentiment of de!ri#ation they end"red as hildrenD the !"r hase instead of the toy or the food is s"&stit"ted for affe tion+ 1erfe tionism$ %eneral im!"lsi#eness and om!"lsi#eness$ and the need to %ain ontrol ha#e also &een linked to the disorder+ 'om!"lsi#e &"yin% seems to re!resent a sear h for self in !eo!le >hose identity is neither firmly felt nor de!enda&le$ as indi ated &y the >ay !"r hases often !ro#ide so ial or !ersonal identity,markers+?hose >ith asso iated disorders s" h as an5iety$ de!ression and !oor im!"lse ontrol are !arti "larly likely to &e attem!tin% to treat sym!toms of lo> self,esteem thro"%h om!"lsi#e sho!!in%+ Others$ ho>e#er$ o&Ce t that s" h !sy holo%i al e5!lanations for om!"lsi#e &"yin% do not a!!ly to all !eo!le >ith '()+ *ystemi

*o ial onditions also !lay an im!ortant role in oniomania$ the rise of ons"mer "lt"re ontri&"tin% to the #ie> of om!"lsi#e &"yin% as a s!e ifi ally !ostmodern addi tion+ 8eadily a#aila&le redit ards ena&le as"al s!endin% &eyond oneIs means$ and some >o"ld s"%%est that the om!"lsi#e &"yer sho"ld lo k "! or destroy redit ards alto%ether+ Hhat differentiates oniomania from healthy sho!!in% is the om!"lsi#e$ destr" ti#e and hroni nat"re of the &"yin%G >here sho!!in% an &e a !ositi#e root to self,e5!ression$ in e5 ess it re!resents a dan%ero"s threat+ 'onse3"en es

?he onse3"en es of oniomania$ >hi h may !ersist lon% after a s!ree$ an &e de#astatin%$ >ith marria%es$ lon%,term relationshi!s$ and Co&s all feelin% the strain+ :"rther !ro&lems an in l"de r"ined redit history$ theft or defal ation of money$ defa"lted loans$ %eneral finan ial tro"&le and in some ases &ankr"!t y or e5treme de&t$ as >ell as an5iety and a sense of life s!irallin% o"t of ontrol+ ?he res"ltin% stress an lead to !hysi al health !ro&lems and r"ined relationshi!s$ or e#en s"i ide+