Shopaholics, people with a shopping addiction, take shopping to a whole different level even when they can't afford to do it. In a Stanford University 2006 study, 17 million Americans were estimated to be shopaholics and nearly half were men. At the time of this landmark study, researchers coined the term "compulsive buying disorder".

Being a shopaholic is a real disease. While it correlates strongly to those with anxiety disorders, there are distinct differences between the two. It is unknown whether or not anti-anxiety medication is the best treatment for this problem or not, but it a problem that is definitely underestimated.