Review Article, J Addict Behav Ther Rehabil Vol: 4 Issue: 2
Compulsive Buying: Psychopathological Condition, Coping Strategy or Sociocultural Phenomenon? A Review
Tricia L da Silva1,2* |
1Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Medical Sciences Building, 1 King’s College Circle, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada |
2Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Division of Mood and Anxiety Disorders, 100 Stokes St., Toronto, Ontario M6J 1H4, Canada |
Corresponding author : Tricia L. da Silva, MA Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Division of Mood and Anxiety Disorders, 100 Stokes St., Toronto, Ontario M6J 1H4, Canada Tel: 1-416-535-8501 x36408; Fax: 1-416-583-1291 E-mail: tricia.dasilva@camh.ca |
Received: December 13, 2014 Accepted: March 25, 2015 Published: March 27, 2015 |
Citation: da Silva TL (2015) Compulsive Buying: Psychopathological Condition, Coping Strategy or Sociocultural Phenomenon? A Review. J Addict Behav Ther Rehabil 4:2. doi:10.4172/2324-9005.1000137 |
Abstract
Compulsive Buying: Psychopathological Condition, Coping Strategy or Sociocultural Phenomenon? A Review
Objectives: Compulsive buying (CB) has been conceptualized variously as an obsessive-compulsive, impulse control, or addictive spectrum condition; as a coping strategy for negative mood; and as a mere phenomenon of materialistic societies. The objective of this review was to evaluate the published literature on CB from a biopsychosocial perspective, for support for its classification among these options.
Methods: A search of the psychiatric literature was conducted, using PubMed, ProQuest and EBSCOHOST, for all articles containing the terms “compulsive buying” or “compulsive shopping” and published in English up to February 2015. Articles were also obtained from secondary search engines like Google Scholar, and the citation lists of sourced articles were also searched for additional references.