Related Experiment Videos
[Pathological buying -- a literature review].
Astrid Müller1, Hans Reinecker, Corinna Jacobi
1Abteilung für Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen. astrid.mueller@psych.imed.uni-erlangen.de
Psychiatrische Praxis
|January 6, 2005
Summary
Pathological buying, characterized by irresistible urges and distress, is an impulse control disorder. While medication shows limited success, cognitive-behavioral group treatment is a promising therapeutic avenue.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
Context:
- Pathological or compulsive buying is a significant issue causing distress and financial problems.
- Literature on pathological buying over the last 15 years is reviewed.
Purpose:
- To summarize the current literature on pathological buying.
- To discuss its phenomenology, diagnosis, classification, comorbidity, epidemiology, and treatment.
Summary:
- Pathological buying involves irresistible, intrusive, and senseless buying urges leading to distress and functional impairment.
- It is classified as an impulse control disorder not otherwise specified (ICD-10 F63.9).
- Frequent comorbidities include mood, anxiety, substance use, eating, impulse control, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
Impact:
- Pharmacological treatments (antidepressants, opioid antagonists) lack confirmed efficacy in controlled trials.
- A disorder-specific cognitive-behavioral group treatment manual exists, with ongoing controlled studies evaluating its effectiveness.