Do you have compulsive buying disorder?

Shopping addiction is on the rise, with researchers estimating that it already affects five per cent of the population and calls for compulsive buying disorder (CBD) to be classified as a mental illness. According to researchers, CBD is characterised by an obsession with spending money and an uncontrollable urge to buy things as a way of dealing with anxiety and low self-esteem. The disorder can ruin lives, with sufferers often falling into serious debt and relationships breaking down due to increased amount of time shopping and concealing their habit from their partners. Closer speaks to Claire Taylor, who needed therapy to overcome her shopping addiction.

Shopping addiction is a mental illness, say experts