[Pathological buying -- a literature review]

(Pathologisches Kaufen -- Eine Literaturübersicht.)

Full Abstract

This review summarizes the literature on pathological buying published during the past 15 years. Pathological or compulsive buying is defined as frequent preoccupation with buying or impulses to buy that are experienced as irresistible, intrusive, and/or senseless. The buying behavior causes marked distress, interferes with social functioning, and often results in financial problems. Studies on the phenomenology, diagnosis, classification, comorbidity, epidemiology, and treatment are presented. Pathological buying should be diagnosed as impulse control disorder not otherwise specified (ICD-10 F63.9). Psychiatric comorbidity is frequent, particulary mood, anxiety, substance use, eating, impulse control and obsessive-compulsive disorders. The positive results of pharmacological treatment with antidepressants (usually SSRI) and opioid antagonists could not be confirmed in controlled trials. A disorder specific cognitive-behavioral group treatment manual was published in USA. A controlled study is currently conducted in USA and since 2003 at the Department of Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy at the University Hospital Erlangen.

Author information

Author/s: Müller, Astrid (A); Reinecker, Hans (H); Jacobi, Corinna (C); Reisch, Lucia (L); de Zwaan, Martina (M);

Affiliation: Abteilung für Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen. astrid.mueller(-atsign-)psych.imed.uni-erlangen.de

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: English Abstract; Journal Article; Review

Journal: Psychiatrische Praxis (Psychiatr Prax), published in Germany. (Language: ger)

Reference: 2005-Jan; vol 32 (issue 1) : pp 3-12

Dates: Created 2005/01/05; Completed 2005/06/13; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 15633069, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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