All-Consuming Problem

That's why he's on the hunt for Black Label hats, Nike sneakers and LRG T-shirts pretty much every weekend.

"I'm a big fashion fanatic," he said while browsing the racks of Filene's Basement on a recent afternoon. "I have, like, 200 pairs of shoes."

He does not consider himself a compulsive shopper, but in his quest for the right look, he admits to at least being an impulsive shopper. At times, that has gotten him into trouble. Twice, he's been late paying his cellphone bill because he miscalculated and shopped a bit too much.

"If I see something I like and no one else is wearing it, I'm going to get it," he said.

There are no data showing whether the number of compulsive shoppers is growing, but psychiatrists said they were treating more people with it.

"In the past, patients with compulsive shopping problems may have had shame and humiliation and certainly would not tell their spouses or psychologists," said Eric Hollander, chairman of psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine who has written about the topic. "Now, there is an increased focus on compulsive shopping."

Psychiatrists said that there was no way to cure people of an addiction to shopping but that they could certainly manage it.

Donald Black, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Iowa and an expert on compulsive shopping, says the first step is admitting to having a problem. Next, he encourages people who binge-buy to get rid of their credit cards and checkbooks. Then he urges them to seek other hobbies to replace shopping. If they've gotten into serious debt, he says, they should seek counseling from a financial institution, planner or credit-counseling agency. Joining a support group such as Debtors' Anonymous might also help.

Sometimes compulsive shopping is coupled with a disorder such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. In those instances, psychiatrists said, medication might help.

And here's a bit of good news: Compulsive shoppers don't have to stop shopping for good, the experts said. But when they do shop, they shouldn't do it alone. "The idea is they're much less likely to shop impulsively with friends or spouses," Black said.

But, warned Black, "make sure that friend is not a compulsive shopper."

Reed, the financial planner, said she asks her clients to reduce spending gradually rather than give up shopping completely. "When you do it by deprivation, it doesn't work," she said.