Hey folks,I’m going to try to write this thru the tears of my laughter. This is completely insane. You know, I get hammered from time to time when I say, I have a major problem with "Psychobabble." Inevitably, someone always tells me how wrong I am, and how great psychology is.
I understand the need for some to seek help. I do not doubt for a second the great healing effects of actually discussing your problems with someone and having them give you advice of how to fix your problems. But My problem comes in when "Psychobabble therapists" just create "disorders" or mental illness for profit.
Here is the latest. Housewives everywhere are celebrating. It’s no longer their fault they spend all the household finances on twenty three pairs of shoes. They are "Shopaholics" They are suffering a mental disorder. They cannot help themselves.
That’s right folks, according to the Washington Post, Friday the 13 of October,
"Lucille Schenk bought $20,000 worth of jewelry a year ago, plunging herself into debt and despair. She knew something was wrong but couldn't help herself: For hours each day, she watched a jewelry channel and the Home Shopping Network, until the salespeople felt like family.
She did most of her binge buying late at night. Often, after her purchases arrived, she returned them, knowing she could not afford them. Then she would see the same items on TV and buy them again.
When Schenk finally sought help, New York psychologist April Lane Benson advised her to have a "conversation" with the jewelry before she made her next purchase, as a way to put some distance between herself and her compulsion.
"I would say, 'You are so beautiful, I can't live without you; I love the way you sparkle,' " recalled Schenk, 62, in an interview. "The jewelry would say back, 'You need me. You look pretty when you wear me.' I would say, 'I do need you. I can't possibly think of being without you. But something has to change. I need to stop this. I can't afford a penny more.' ""
LOL {Banging hand on desk} Talk to the Jewelry? "I love the way you sparkle?" LOL Then the Post goes on to say,
"The new study in the American Journal of Psychiatry was conducted by a team led by Lorrin M. Koran, a psychiatrist at Stanford University.
Besides the sheer number of people, Koran said what surprised him was that men were just as likely as women to be binge buyers. The study also found that compulsive buyers were likely to earn less than $50,000.
Classifying compulsive buying as a disorder could have legal implications. Koran and other psychiatrists believe that at least some people who end up in bankruptcy are binge buyers, suffering from a disease similar to alcoholism, and that this should mitigate their personal responsibility for their debts."
Remember what I said about IED?
"When you say "anything goes, as long as you do not hurt anyone", then anything goes. When you attack anything moral, you get immoral. When you remove all blame from individuals, like this new "Disorder" called "IED", then you are not responsible for your actions. You may have IED or Intermittent Explosive Disorder, if,
On several occasions the patient has lost control of aggressive impulses, leading to serious assault or property destruction.
The aggression is markedly out of proportion to the seriousness of any social or psychological stressors.
No other mental disorder or personality disorder better explains the symptoms.
These symptoms are not directly caused by a general medical condition or substance use, including medications and drugs of abuse.
So now, if you lose your temper, it’s not your fault, you have IED. Go home, take some drugs, you will be fine."
This is all about money folks. Now "Shopaholics?" If you doubt this is all about money, think about this, This is not new. They have been trying to label "Shopaholics" as a mental disorder since 2003. According to Personneltoday.com from August 18, 2003
"Stressed workers who indulge in retail therapy run the risk of developing a serious psychiatric disorder.
Experts say compulsive shopping can be brought on through stress-relieving shopping sprees after retail therapy was listed along with addictions to gambling and alcohol in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - the official reference book for US psychiatrists.
Researchers say that the disorder, characterized by binge shopping and subsequent financial hardship, affects one in 10 people, with women nine times as likely as men to become shopaholics.
In America, doctors are currently doing tests on antidepressants to see if they will control the unstoppable shopping urges."
OK, {Wiping tear from eye} Then you have The pressbox reporting March 04, 2005,
From the people who brought you Mathematics Disorder and Disorder of Written Expression and even Caffeine Disorder, now bring you Compulsive Shopping Disorder. In other words, a shopaholic. According to the experts, if you have a strong urge to go shopping, for anything from clothes to cars, at any time of the year, that means you might have a mental illness.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 4th Edition (DSM IV) put out by the American Psychiatric Association, there are 374 so called mental disorders.
Psychiatrists literally vote on what constitutes a mental illness or disorder by raising their hands at a conference. There is no medical evidence presented, no brain scans, blood tests or any other medical criteria needed to establish a disorder in the DSM; it is 100% subjective.
So now there is Compulsive Shopping Disorder. A study was done on 23 women and one man. All of whom were allegedly suffering from this disorder. This is of course 24 people trying to represent the entire country. It stated that most of the compulsive shoppers had improved in their urge to shop with an anti-depressant, Citalopram. Of course, the urge to shop might also be reduced by taking a number of other drugs, like heroin, cocaine, or maybe even sleeping pills. But it doesn’t mean it will help the situation. Drugs very often only serve to cover up a situation without really handling anything."
WAIT A SECOND!! We have the name? At least in 2005, Citalopram. I love this little tidbit of information as well, " Psychiatrists literally vote on what constitutes a mental illness or disorder by raising their hands at a conference. There is no medical evidence presented, no brain scans, blood tests or any other medical criteria needed to establish a disorder in the DSM; it is 100% subjective." Really? Translation time folks,
"We need to make more money. We need a new disorder. How about the fact EVERYONE shops. Let’s see, ok, if you shop too much, we can label you mentally ill. We need a name. Let’s see,,what do you think of "Shopaholic." You know sounds like Alcoholic, people will think it is a real disease that we can help them with, and we will make even more money if we can get the drug companies involved also." Group? "Yeah I love it, let’s go for it."
Back to the Post,
"Hollander said those who shop because they are suffering from anxiety problems can be helped by antidepressants such as Prozac or Paxil. If the problem is caused by mood imbalances, mood stabilizers such as lithium can help, he said.
Binge buyers who also have other addictions, such as alcoholism, may be helped by opioid antagonists, drugs that block receptors that channel pleasure messages in the brain, Hollander said. And people who shop because they are restless or hyperactive can be helped by stimulant medications used to treat attention-deficit disorder."
And,
"What predisposes someone to being a compulsive buyer is a materialistic value orientation and low self-esteem," Benson concluded. "The materialistic orientation is very much cultural. This disorder exists along a continuum -- there are excessive shoppers and there are compulsive shoppers."
It is all YOUR fault. It is society’s fault that "Suzy" cannot stop shopping. Not "Suzy’s" fault. She is sick and needs help, and drugs.
I have a prediction for you folks. Mark my words today, Sunday, October 15, 2006. Wal-Mart is to blame also. It is only a matter of time until someone, somewhere, sues Wal-Mart for making them a "Shopaholic.." Maybe even a class action suit.
Yes, the next time you go shopping, do not forget to talk to whatever you are buying. If it talks back to you, you are OK. If it doesn’t and you buy it, you may be sick in need of help. LOL You may be a "Shopaholic."
Peter
Sources:
Washington Post-Some Psychiatrists See 'Shopaholic' As a Diagnosis
Me-Contributed To?
Personneltoday.com-Psychiatrists identify shopaholic work stress disorder
The Pressbox-ARE YOU A SHOPAHOLIC?
Psychiatrists Want to Label "Shopaholic" As a Mental Disorder
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