Many get excited to hit the shops come pay day or feel a rush of adrenaline when they see the word “sale”.
But the psychiatrists, from Hannover Medical School in Germany, believe it is “time to recognise it as a mental health condition” in its own right.READ MORE: 7 Signs You’re a Shopaholic The internet is thought to give BSD sufferers newfound “availability, anonymity and accessibility” when it comes to their spending.
Studies have shown between 80% and 95% of BSD “patients” are women, according to a review by the psychiatrist Dr Donald Black from the University of Iowa.Many report a sense of urgency or anxiety, which can only be relieved by making a sale.They may also put “considerable research” into where sales are taking placing or the opening of a new shop.When it comes to buying something, many report “intense excitement” or even a “sexual feeling”, according to Dr Iowa.