STOPPING COMPULSIVE SHOPPING
Shopping can be fun -- and for some even a way to make them feel better -- but it can also become compulsive and addictive just like gambling. Now, one drug is putting an end to the obsession for some.
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Ada Spade
"Even when the brain was telling me, 'You don't need this. You don't need to go to the store.' The rest of the body was not cooperating."
Ada Spade suffered from compulsive shopping -- a clinically diagnosed impulse control disorder.
Ada Spade
Compulsive shopper
"We have over 5,000 books in my house, and we haven't even counted -- those are only three categories."
She shopped every day -- some for 8 hours straight and spent up to $500 every week.
Ada Spade
"We tried therapy. We tried budgeting. We tried doing strictly cash. Everything we tried, it didn't last."
Elias Aboujaoude, M.D. Psychiatrist
Stanford University
Palo Alto, CA
"People's lives have been ruined. Their marriages have ended. They've had to declare bankruptcy."
Now, Stanford Doctor Elias Aboudjaoude has something to help Ada and others like her. He tested the antidepressant Celexa on 24 patients.
Elias Aboujaoude, M.D.
"We saw a response of 71 percent in terms of patients being able to function and not be so preoccupied with this drive to shop."
Celexa increases serotonin levels in the brain. That simple boost could be all it takes.
Elias Aboujaoude, M.D.
"I have seen it work miracles. I have seen it change people's lives."
Ada says it's changed hers.
Ada Spade
"It's enjoyable now, but it's not a need now.
And now, she can walk out of a store empty-handed.
Doctors say compulsive shopping disorder is in the same family as kleptomania -- the impulse to steal -- and trichotillomania, which is compulsive hair-pulling. Side effects of celexa include nausea, headache, and a decreased sex drive. Researchers at Stanford are now looking at a similar type of antidepressant to determine if it can do the same thing as Celexa with fewer side effects.
BACKGROUND: Researchers say about 2 percent to 8 percent of the population suffers from compulsive shopping disorder. Compulsive shopping disorder is an impulse control disorder that is characterized by an intense drive to shop and buy unneeded items. More women than men suffer from the disorder. Women tend to shop for clothing and makeup, whereas men tend to shop for tools and "gadgets." Very often, compulsive shoppers will experience intense pleasure during a shopping "binge" but will then experience intense guilt after the shopping binge is over. The disorder is in the same family of impulse control disorders as kleptomania, which is the impulse to steal and trichotillomania, which is impulsive hair-pulling.
WHEN SHOPPING GETS OUT OF CONTROL: Researchers say compulsive shopping disorder can ruin lives. Elias Aboujaoude, M.D., from Stanford University, who specializes in helping compulsive shoppers, says he is surprised by the degree of dysfunction and the amount of suffering the disorder causes patients. He says, "People's lives have been ruined. Their marriages have ended. They've had to declare bankruptcy two or three times because of this." Dr. Aboujaoude says it's not uncommon for a woman with compulsive shopping disorder to purchase 10 different blouses in different colors and sizes. For many patients, finding room to store their accumulated purchases is difficult. They may have dozens of items that go unopened and unused.
STANDARD TREATMENTS: Dr. Aboujaoude says patients with compulsive shopping disorder seem to have a serotonin dysfunction. Serotonin is the "feel-good" brain neurotransmitter. Until now, the disorder has been treated with some degree of success with a form of psychotherapy known as cognitive behavioral psychotherapy.
A NEW OPTION: Now, researchers are studying how compulsive shoppers respond to a class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The drug Celexa falls into this class of antidepressants. Researchers from Stanford University tested Celexa on 24 patients with compulsive shopping disorder. They saw a 71 percent response in patients being able to function better and not be so preoccupied with shopping. Dr. Aboujaoude says, "I have seen it [Celexa] change people's lives. I have seen it work miracles in some patients."
Celexa works by boosting serotonin levels in the brain. Researchers say that simple boost could be all it takes to stop the impulsive behavior. Dr. Aboujaoude says, even though Celexa is an antidepressant, it does not work by treating depression in compulsive shoppers. Instead, it works by helping patients control their impulses. Some side effects of Celexa include nausea, mild headaches, and a decreased sex drive.
THE FUTURE: Researchers from Stanford are now conducting another study to determine if the antidepressant Lexapro, which is in the same class of drugs as Celexa, can benefit compulsive shoppers. They are studying 24 new patients with compulsive shopping disorder. Researchers hope Lexapro will show even better efficacy than Celexa - with fewer side effects.
M.A. Malone
Office of Communication and Public Affairs
Stanford School of Medicine
mamalone@stanford.edu
Copyright © 2004 Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc.
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