Buy, buy, buy: Shopaholics find deals too sweet

NEW YORK (AP) — In "Confessions of a Shopaholic," a 20-something glam girl has a serious problem: She can't stop shopping and her credit card debt is mounting.

The movie opening Friday is lighthearted, but for real compulsive shoppers it's nothing to laugh about. While much of America is spending less because of the recession, for shopaholics, the deals have become too good to resist.

"I'm having a hard time controlling myself," said Rebecca Gart, 39, of Denver, a stay-at-home mother of three, who goes shopping a couple of times a week. She excitedly ticked off several great deals: Dolce & Gabbana pants, a Prada bag, a beautiful cocktail dress.

Even for those who have less money in their pockets, sales can prove tempting. As economic stress levels mount, they seek retail therapy and spend more.

"I know that business is bad for everyone and that I should be calming down," said Gart. "It's just hard when you have all these amazing bargains everywhere."

Mental health professionals say bargains make it hard for true shopping addicts to change their spending habits.

An estimated 5.8 percent of Americans are compulsive shoppers, according to a Stanford University study. (Compulsive shopping is not listed in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, but is being considered for the next edition.)

While shoppers in general triumph from finding deals, evidence suggests that the feeling is magnified among compulsive shoppers, said Dr. Donald Black, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Iowa College of Medicine.

And because many spend more when they are under stress, including financial stress, they are having a tough time resisting all the sales, said Terrence Shulman, founder of The Shulman Center for Compulsive Theft and Spending in Franklin, Mich.

Shulman has seen a slight increase in people seeking help, but he's unsure what to attribute it to. April Lane Benson, a New York psychologist, said she has seen more traffic for her Web site, stoppingovershopping.com, and there's a waiting list for her telephone coaching groups.

Even those who aren't shopaholics are being lured into overspending because of great deals, said Shulman, author of "Bought Out and Spent! Recovery from Compulsive $hopping and $pending."