Health

Online shopping addiction 'is a mental health condition', psychotherapists claim

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2020/08/20 15:52

Today's Vocabulary

1.embezzlement (n)
 the crime of secretly taking money that is in your care or that belongs to an organization or business you work for

2.impulse (n)
a sudden strong wish to do something

3. craving (n) 
 a strong feeling of wanting something

4. hoarding (n) 
a mental condition  that makes someone want to keep a large number of things that are not needed or have no value

5. distress (n) 
a feeling of extreme worry, sadness, or pain 

6. boom (n) 
a period of sudden economic growth, especially one that results in a lot of money being made

7. accumulate (v)
to collect a large number  of things over along period of time

8. claim (v) 
to say that something is true or is a fact, although you cannot prove it and other people  might not believe it

Online shopping addiction 'is a mental health condition', psychotherapists claim

Whether it’s ASOS or Amazon, when it comes to shopping these days, many of us will turn to the internet.

But while some people only occasionally shop online, it seems that for others the habit is becoming an addiction – so much so that experts believe that it should be classed as a ‘mental health condition.’

Researchers from Hannover Medical School claim that the so-called ‘buying-shopping disorder’ (BSD) should have its own classification, rather than its current listing as ‘other specified impulse control disorder.’

Dr Astrid Muller, who led the study, said: “It really is time to recognise BSD as separate mental health condition and to accumulate further knowledge about BSD on the Internet.”

The condition is characterised by an extreme preoccupation with, and craving for, shopping, as well as urges to own certain goods.

And in the long run, the condition can lead to extreme distress, family issues, hoarding of goods and even embezzlement, according to the researchers.

The researchers hope their findings will encourage mental health experts to explore the condition, especially given the reason boom in the online shopping industry.

Resource: https://www.mirror.co.uk/science/online-shopping-addiction-is-mental-20887079

Discussion
  1. Do you think shopping addiction is a mental illness?
  2. What did the article say BSD can destroy besides mental health?
  3. What did you think when you read the headline?
  4. Why might BSD lead to anxiety and depression?

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