I just saw the TV “Inside Edition” and they featured the
problem of compulsive buyers. It offered a study by
Dr. Lorrin Koran of Stanford U, who is testing Celexa to
treat the problem. It’s a drug that is also used to
treat depression. It’s in the earliest stages to see if
it will be helpful for obsessive shoppers.
It’s estimated that perhaps 8% of all Americans may be
shopaholics, with 90% of them being women.
If you want to read more about the problem, there’s
a decent article on the following site.
www.motherjones.com/news_wire/shopaholic.html
I knew a lady with the problem and her house was
literally filled in every room with every type of item.
She was a nice, intelligent woman otherwise.
The SSRI’s (Selective seritonin reuptake inhibitors) like Celexa, Luvox, Prozac and others are useful in treating Obsessive-Compulsive disorders in general. OCD can manifest in many ways, from handwashing to hairpulling to shopping.
By itself, the SSRI is somewhat helpful. It works best when combined with behavioral therapy.
QtM, MD
How fun. Madison Avenue has suceeded in turning Americans into slavering hordes of shoppers. Still not making enough profit? Sell them a drug to “control” … the behavior which you have pounded into their heads. Genius.
It’s a treatment for a mental illness, ninetywt. One which arises from abnormal brain chemistry, not Madison Avenue.
No problem, such already exists. I have been taking it for some time now, as a preventative of glaucoma. I have no intention, whatsoever, of developing glaucoma.
To paraphrase Rodney King, can’t we all just get a bong?
How much will it cost? Where can I buy it? Can I use coupons?
It’ll be on Ebay soon enough.
I wonder if they’ll make the mistake of giving out free samples.
I’m not so sure about that. I doubt there are many shop-a-holics in the developing world, so its not strictly a biological thing. It sounds like a disease of luxury that is all but encouraged in the land of unbridled consumerism that is America.
OCD manifests itself into available outlets, cainxinth. Where no shopping outlet is available, it will take another form.
I am not saying that heedless and inappropriate shopping is always OCD, I am saying that the treatment mentioned is for the OCD-driven compulsive shopper.
I’m sure you’re right, you’re the Doctor. (aren’t you?)
The point I was making was just that it has environmental influences, so perhaps “Madison Ave.” does play a role.
Of course there are compulsive shoppers. And of course I understand that it is a mental illness. Mental illness runs in my family (or should I say gallops?:D)
I reckon I was feeling a little grumpy when I posted that. It does seem to me that we are raising generation upon generation of slavering consumers, each more ravenous than the last.
I just wonder what’s gonna happen when they eat everything up?:eek:
Plus, QtM, it seems that many folks run to take medicinal therapy when some other, gentler therapy may work. I’d like to see the latter encouraged more. 
Hey !!
I just noticed that I used slavering twice in this thread.
Maybe it’s time for my medication 
!
This sounds like a Dogbert plot. In fact, I think there actually was a Dilbert strip that went like that once…
Dogbert: “I’ve invented a drug that will cure compulsive shoppers.”
Dilbert: “How? What do you know about compulsive shoppers?”
Dogbert: “I know that they probably buy a lot of drugs.”