Oniomania--successful treatment with fluvoxamine and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy

Compulsive buying (oniomania) is a disorder that has begun to receive attention from researchers in recent years. It has been estimated that disorder affects from 2 to 8% of the general adult population in the US (official data for Croatia are not available). About 90% of those affected are female. Onset occurs in the late teens or early twenties, and the disorder is generally chronic. Psychiatric comorbidity is frequent, particularly mood, anxiety, substance use, eating and personality disorders. Treatment has not been well delineated, but individual and group psychodynamic psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioural therapy and 12-step programmes may be helpful. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) re-uptake inhibitors may help some patients regulate their buying impulses. We have presented the case of a 32-year old woman with a history of excessive pathological buying treated successfully with combined therapy (fluvoxamine and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy).