Can shopping can make you depressed

asks Su Smith:
A. I'm afraid so. Which is a bit hard to take for those who use retail therapy as a way to cheer themselves up. A new study by analysts Publicis found that binge shopping actually makes people feel worse rather then better.

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Q. How bad is it
A. Despite the fact that earnings are higher than ever, most people are pretty unhappy. Fifty-five per cent of those interviewed said that they had felt depressed at some point in the previous year. And they were twice as likely to make an impulse purchase which they later regretted. Surveys in the US and Europe show that extravagance is a growing problem - especially with younger people, who use 'retail therapy' to relieve stress.

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Q. Is shopping only a short-term solution
A. Yes. When the initial thrill wears off, binge shoppers end up feeling even more cheesed off than they were to begin with, because you can't change your life by buying more things. Psychologist Oliver James claims that this is a generation of Thatcher's children, who were brought up 'to believe that the pursuit of status and wealth was the root to fulfilment. This has turned out to be manifestly not true.'

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Q. So spending doesn't solve anything
A. No. The amount of money a person has doesn't have a bearing on either their mental health or their wellbeing.

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Q. Does using retail therapy mean you're a shopaholic
A. Not necessarily. It's recognised that 'retail therapy' relieves stress, but shopaholics are suffering from an impulse control disorder and can't stop themselves. It's reckoned that one in ten people is a shopaholic, and twice as likely to be female.

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Q. Is shopping a 'therapy'
A. Yes, but only in the short-term. Buying stuff makes you feel good for a little while, even if you buy things you don't need. But guilt and remorse can soon set in, particularly for people who can't afford to do the shopping in the first place, and tension builds up again until the shopaholic needs another dose of retail therapy to feel better.

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Q. How bad can in get
A. It can lead to debt, marriage break-up and severe depression.

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Q. What's the cure
A. Binge shopping is usually connected to an underlying problem. Shopaholics usually suffer from poor self-esteem: as well as relieving tension, shopping means they can give themselves presents to cheer themselves up. Treatment is psychotherapy and possibly anti-depressant drugs.

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By Sheena Miller