Articles & Book Reviews 

Question:  My wife spends money we don't have and I don't know how to stop her. She always has an excuse "birthdays, Christmas, end of year sales etc."  How can I get her to see that going more and more into debt is a serious problem? Tony

Answer (1)  Tony, this is indeed a very serious and unfortunately, common problem, with a multitude of possible causes. I have no idea what continuously spending money means to your wife or why she lives in a bubble isolated from economic realities. This is of course assuming that your reporting of the situation is accurate and not due to your own possibly exaggerated financial anxieties. If consulting a financial advisor together to appraise your wife of your financial realities and the debt trap does not modify her behaviour, I would recommend that you consult a therapist experienced in seeing people addicted to self destructive behaviours, such as gambling, over-spending and shopping.

Answer provided by David White, Psychotherapist

Answer (2)  There is often an underlying issue that prompts people to engage in retail therapy. When used to self-soothe, shopping can develop into a form of addiction and like most addictive behaviours knowing the consequences is not a deterrent. Why not get some help with clarifying and addressing the cause of this problem.

Answer provided by Eva Fera, Psychologist