Oniomania: what is known today?

BackgroundOniomania is a clinical entity that causes suffering to people who lives with it, and it often takes several years for a correct diagnosis of the clinical condition to be made, thus delaying the start of the treatment. There are still many gaps in the scientific field to be clarified regarding this pathology, already described at the beginning of the 20th century by authors such as Kraepelin and Bleuler.
MethodsThe methodology used for the research was:
Bibliographic review on the topic of oniomania, using the PubMed database and the main manuals for classifying mental illnesses.
ResultsOniomania is an entity that is still poorly defined by science and is excluded from the main manuals of mental illnesses classification, despite some criteria being proposed for its diagnosis. Depending on the studies, it is present in 2 to 16% of the general population, more frequently in women, despite some controversy. There are authors who have already identified risk factors and various phases of this behavior. The literature emphasizes the importance of a correct diagnosis, also alerts to the high psychiatric comorbidity observed. There are authors who consider oniomania closer to addictive behavioral disorders, others who place it on an obsessive-compulsive or impulsive-compulsive spectrum, others who place it as belonging to a mood disorder and, still others, who recognize it as a behavioral expression of a personality trait. There are several etiological theories integrating neurobiological, familiar, genetic factors and psychological theories. The majority of cases present a chronic evolution, the remainder are recurrent. Regarding treatment, several strategies have been described, including cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic models, and there are already several studies that focus on the pharmacological role of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants and some reports with naltrexone.
ConclusionScientific interest in oniomania has returned to the context of current clinical research. Several studies are still needed with samples of greater impact and in different cultural contexts, long-term and follow-up, so that this entity can be better clarified in neurobiological and psychopathological terms so that a complete and comprehensive therapeutic approach to patients can be reached.