CHASING HIGHS FROM BUYS IS CAUSING HARM... AND CAN POINT TO A DEEPER PROBLEM

WE'VE all got carried away adding too much to our online shopping basket, or have chucked extras into our trolley we don't really need.

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But shopping, when it gets out of control, can affect much more than our bank balance.

Dr Catherine Carney, psychiatrist and addiction expert at rehab clinic Delamere, calls shopping addiction a “process or behavioural” addiction. “It's not substance related, but it's a form of addiction that involves compulsive engagement in behaviours, even when it’s causing harm in your life. It is repeated actions or habits that, for some reason, for different people, give a psychological reward,” she says.

Other addictions in this family include gambling and pornography.

“It's about the loss of control over behaviour and continuing to do it in spite of negative consequences,” she says. “In the past youd refer to people as shopaholics in a humorous way, but it can cause a massive fall out.”

Dr Carney says these are the signs that show there’s a problem.

You always think about shopping