Harvard Mental Health Letter: January 2007

Some mental health professionals view compulsive shopping as a variation of obsessive-compulsive disorder, while others see it as an impulse-control disorder. Sufferers are also at risk for other psychiatric problems.

Research shows that emotion has unexpected effects on buying and selling.

A Harvard Medical School doctor talks about the obsessive-compulsive phenomenon of hoarding.

Separation anxiety is common in children, but most grow out of it. However, in a small percentage of children (and more rarely, in adults) it becomes a disorder. Typical treatment methods include cognitive and behavioral therapy.

Brain research is finding that drug addiction causes permanent changes in the brain that diminish the addict's capacity for pleasure, while at the same time making the likelihood of relapse into addiction more likely.

Because of the difficulties in treating borderline personality disorder, therapists may be prone to stigmatize patients and distance themselves from them, jeopardizing the chance of successful treatment.

Two studies support the long-held view that drinking during pregnancy increases the chance of a child having fetal alcohol syndrome, and also suggests these children may be more likely to abuse alcohol as adults.