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Shopaholic diagnosed with bipolar disorder for excessive online shopping

(People's Daily Online)    10:03, November 23, 2019

A woman in Shenyang, northeast China’s Liaoning Province was sent to a local hospital for psycho evaluation after she spent over 200,000 RMB ($28,000) for online shopping in a single day. Her excessive buying, which has occurred several times over the past few years, was determined to be the cause of the variant of bipolar disorder she was diagnosed with. This caused heated online discussion on Chinese social media.

According to the local newspaper Peninsula Morning Post, the 30-year-old patient, whose surname is Li, was sent to a local hospital by her parents and husband for her unlimited purchases online, especially on Nov.11, during the Double Eleven Festival when China’s grandest online shopping festival takes place. Li lost control when she was given coupons as well as discounts and spent over $28,000 on unnecessary purchases in a single day.

Guan Zebin, Li’s shrink, told media that though it is common for some people to spend excessively on Double Eleven due to the favorable discounts, Li’s behavior is a symptom of manic episodes which are all part of a condition called bipolar disorder.

“Excessiveness, unwarranted optimism, grandiosity and poor judgment of such patients can often lead to an imprudent involvement in pleasurable activities such as buying sprees unusual for the person,” said Guan, who added that every year when the Double Eleven ends, he receives patients similar to Li often.

The news soon went viral on Chinese social media, with many expressing their concerns noting that they themselves may have the same problem and should consider seeing a doctor.

“I just cannot help myself and continue buy unnecessary stuff because it makes me feel content. Maybe I should see a doctor as well,” said a netizen on Sina Weibo.

“Unlike Li, this kind of problem never bothers me, because I am too poor to afford excessive buying,” said another netizen. 

(For the latest China news, Please follow People's Daily on Twitter and Facebook)(Web editor: Kou Jie, Bianji)

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