ABSTRACT
Compulsive buying (CB) has been a focus of increasing attention in both the lay and the professional literature (Black, 2007). Yet for many clinicians, CB has been o€ the “radar screen,” and they may be unaware their patients have problematic shopping and spending behaviors. Possibly the patient will consider the symptoms as part of a larger §nancial problem of no interest to the clinician. Alert clinicians will know that CB is common and widespread, particularly among a psychiatric patient population,
Introduction 27 Identi§cation and Assessment 28 Screening 29 Psychiatric History 30 Other Assessments 32 Shopping Diaries 36 A Patient Example 37 Conclusion 38 References 38 Appendix A: Compulsive Buying Scale 41 Appendix B: Edwards Compulsive Buying Scale 43 Appendix C: Questionnaire about Buying Behavior 45 Appendix D: Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale-Shopping Version (YBOCS-SV) 47
While many individuals will be hesitant to discuss these problems, occasional patients will seek help from mental health professionals for CB, especially those who have read about it or seen media portrayals. Others may present at the behest of a concerned spouse, on the recommendation of a friend, or sometimes at the suggestion of an attorney or law enforcement o±cer if there have been legal entanglements.
