Mrs. Chen, who is nearly 60 years old, has a husband who has been working in mainland China for a long time. She suffers from depression and has never been able to get along with her elderly mother. She is very resentful about this and adds I didn't have anyone to talk to, so over time I started to use shopping to relieve stress, and I turned out to be a consumer addict!

Xu Shijie, Director of the Department of Psychiatry at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, pointed out that the definition of a consumer addict is that an individual cannot control his or her consumption behavior; often excessive shopping, such as expecting to buy one piece of clothing, but later buying 7 or 8 items ; And after returning home, I often find that these items are not used.

"There are not many studies on consumer addiction, but relevant research indicates that it may be related to insufficient serotonin in the brain," and other mental illnesses, such as depression, bipolar disorder, and binge eating. Disease and alcoholism also have the problem of insufficient serotonin, and consumption addiction is often the culprit of these diseases.

These 3 tips can solve the problem of consumption addiction

Xu Shijie said that at that time, he suggested three things to Mrs. Chen. First, don’t take too much cash out and cut off unnecessary credit cards; The second step is to change her consumption patterns and avoid going to stores that she is familiar with and willing to let her buy on credit. Finally, to solve the problem of inner emptiness, Xu Shijie suggested that Mrs. Chen can actively participate in group activities.

Nowadays, Mrs. Chen often hangs out with a group of good friends, doing illustrations, singing, and watching movies. Xu Shijie said that the happiness of engaging in these activities can replace the unhealthy consumption behaviors of the past.

Consumer addicts often don’t know it

Xu Shijie said that there are more consumer addicts than women, accounting for about 70 to 80% of all patients. This may also be related to Women are at a higher risk of suffering from physical diseases such as depression.

"Although many people have problems with impulsive consumption and consumption addiction, not many people see doctors because of this problem." Consumer addicts pointed out that patients usually seek medical treatment for other diseases. In the process, I accidentally discovered that I have a tendency to become addicted to consumption. Those who come to see a doctor because of consumption addiction problems are usually the patient's relatives and friends who discovered something was wrong with the patient and came to see a doctor. "There are not many people who discover this problem themselves and come to see a doctor."

Xu Shijie mentioned that the consumption goals of consumption addicts vary from person to person. When people talk about consumption addiction, they often think of buying luxury goods, cosmetics, clothing, etc. This may be because most of the consumption addicts are women, and women feel inferior because of their appearance, which may lead to mental illness and the possibility of consumption addiction. Sexuality is relatively large.

"I once had a patient who had impulse purchases of fresh food." Xu Shijie gave an example. This patient did not cook on the stove. The fresh food she bought on impulse was often delivered to Even the neighbors couldn't finish the food. Xu Shijie suggested that if you are a good friend of these patients, you can also offer to spend money with them to persuade them to make impulsive purchases in due course.

Other suggestions for consumption addicts

Chen Bingyan, director of the psychiatric ward of Yadong Hospital, also gave 3 suggestions, hoping to improve the consumption situation of patients: Adjust mentality - When you have impulsive consumption behavior, think about yourself, "When did I become obsessed with consumption, what happened at that time, how am I doing recently, why do I want to consume?" These four questions can help patients explore themselves. If If it is due to excessive work pressure that leads to excessive consumption behavior, then you can relieve your stress by exercising, gathering with friends, listening to music, etc.; if it is an emotional problem, you can talk to friends or family, or find a professional psychologist Consultants help patients sort out, adjust, and clarify their understanding of themselves, find out the reasons, and accept or change themselves. Rational consumption - Do not buy things you do not need, do not buy things that can be bought or not, and buy goods based on practicality. Write down first and buy later, untie the card - when you see a product that interests you, write it down first and look at it again a week later. If you really need it, pay for it. This method can help delay gratification and avoid impulsive consumption. Use cash instead of credit cards for consumption, so that you can feel the real feeling of less money, thereby controlling your shopping desire.