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Is excessive online buying a form of OCD?

I've been excessively buying online and 3 out of 4 purchases are unsatisfactory; then I try again hoping to get a better ratio of good purchases to bad.  I feel like a compulsive gambler.  Is this a form of OCD?  Could it be due to Covid 19 anxieties.
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Avatar universal
The characteristics of compulsive shopping disorder are-

Difficulty resisting the purchase of unneeded items.
Financial difficulties because of uncontrolled shopping.

Problems with mood, such as major depressive disorder or an anxiety disorder, are often common in compulsive shopping.

If you fall under these, criterias then, yes you're the victim of OCD.
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2 Comments
Not sure OCD is the same as being obsessive about, say, shopping or gambling or video games or pot smoking or sex.  None of them leads to the best life, but I do believe they are treated differently than OCD.  Not that important, but it can be, as many drugs have gotten FDA approval to treat OCD and might not be the best med to take for many people but psychiatrists see this and prescribe them anyway.  Therapy is different as well.  Other than that, mental illness is mental illness, and it's no fun.
Thank you.  Doing things in excess is one of my problems.   Did overspend before I stopped, but cant say any significant financial difficulties resulted.   Perhaps not OCD but falls into addictions category.
973741 tn?1342342773
You know, I'd say yes, it is mental health related.  It can be almost like an addiction.  Shop, get a high, come down, shop again.  Often done when feeling bad.  It soothes emotions.  It can be a very destructive issue.  And online shopping makes it so much easier and worse.  Here's a good read on this.  https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/compulsive-shopping  

It's not always an addiction or compulsion and that article has a check list for when to be concerned.  My question is 1. do you feel out of control 2. do you have regret after and 3. are you financially suffering.  If any of those are an issue, then I think a therapist would be very helpful!
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4 Comments
The repetition seems out of my control  There seems to be no reason for it except wanting a better outcome next time.which is a flimsy reason.  I can spend all day researching, trying to make the very best choices I can; I feel good.  Then the goods come.  Definitely a time waster.  Needle stuck on a broken record. The repetition may be because it is so, so easy to go to the computer and press buttons to start a new transaction; can't help myself.  And I do have extra time because of the Covid restrictions.  Anyway, I was worried enough about the behavior and hated myself for the  waste of money; so, for now, I think this repetitious cycle (I've noticed others) has been broken.  Thank you.
Listen, you wouldn't be the first person to stress release by shopping.  I've done it too.  You sound like a smart person able to look inside which is great.  That's how change can come about.  If it can't but you want it to, don't hesitate to institute a professional.  Hugs
Thank you  very much for your interest and the information.  I will follow through.
Awesome.  Don't ever forget that everyone has 'something' the are trying to overcome, it's the thread of being human that runs through us all.  I'm here to chitty chat any time!!  hugs
Avatar universal
It's odd how so many people on this website seem to want to have OCD.  Compulsive behaviors aren't necessarily OCD.  But things don't have to be OCD to be a problem.  One question would be, are you buying things you actually need?  A second is, can you afford it?  We all have things we do a lot because we like them.  I used to go camping so much I kept my camping gear in the back of my van so I'd be ready to go at any time.  I used to play basketball on the playground 3 hours a day.  People run marathons.  People climb mountains.  People jump out of airplanes.  So if this is just what you enjoy doing and you are rich enough to do it, I wouldn't say excessive materialism is a good thing but hey, I don't decide that.  If, on the other hand, you are buying things you can't use and are spending yourself into debt, then you have a problem.  By the way, compulsive gambling is only a problem if you lose all the time.  If you won all the time, it would be a profession.  There are professional gamblers who make a great living doing it.  Is it compulsive to go to work at the same place every day?  Sure.  We're all compulsive in one way or the other.  The issue is, does it make your life better or worse, and is it crowding out other things that are more important and you're not getting them done.  Now, of course, 3 our 4 purchases are unsatisfactory, that's what buying online is all about.  You buy clothes or shoes you haven't tried on, you're going to get a lot of stuff you can't use.  You buy things or brands you're unfamiliar with, you're going to get a lot of badly made merchandise.  It was better when we went to stores and could touch the stuff or try it on, but we stopped doing that and those places are going out of business.  The whole game of buying online is to believe you're saving time when it actually takes longer and getting things you can't actually use.  But that's me editorializing.  Back to being serious, again, if you're quite wealthy, what else are you going to do with your money?  You could give it away to those who need it, but all rich people own tons of stuff even if they do that.  You don't say if you're wealthy or not.  So ask yourself, are you spending yourself into debt, and are you buying things you clearly neither need nor really want.  As to whether it's covid anxiety or not, I guess if you only started doing this since covid started, it's possible.  It's also possible you're just bored.  Can't answer that one for you.  
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