According to the Illinois Institute for Addiction, if an individual exhibits four or more of the following signs, they may have a problem with overspending:

• Shopping as a result of being disappointed, angry or scared
• Shopping or spending habits causing emotional distress or chaos in one's life
• Having arguments with others regarding shopping or spending habits
• Feeling lost without credit cards
• Buying items on credit that would not be bought with cash
• Spending money causing a rush of euphoria and anxiety at the same time
• Spending or shopping feels like a reckless or forbidden act
• Feeling guilty, ashamed, embarrassed or confused after shopping or spending money; many purchases are never used
• Lying to others about what was bought or how much money was spent
• Thinking excessively about money
• Spending a lot of time juggling accounts and bills to accommodate spending