1. Does your credit card bill give you jitters with its astronomically high figures?

2. Does your hubby repeatedly threaten to cancel your joint account?

3. Do you have a special loft for all the brand-new-but-unused stuff you flood your home with?

4. Do you have to put your imagination to test as you concoct a new reason to explain your tenth pair of black shoes?

If you answered "Yes" to any one of these questions, then watch out! You just might be a shopaholic.

You may have found author-shopaholic Sophie Kinsella's 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' hilarious, but the underlying reasons behind compulsive shopping are anything but funny.

The list of famous shopaholics includes Jacquelyn Kennedy-Onasis, Imelda Marcos and the late Princess Diana. All of these women have confessed overspending for the 'feel-good' factor during depression and emotional crises.

Also Read: Make Shopping Malls Work for You

Shopaholism 

The word may sound unthreatening, but could create a lot of financial and personal problems.

Trupti Deshpande, a thirty-something working mother, is a great example.

"My shopping sprees were a constant reason for frequent fights with my husband Rajesh. Without realising it, I would spend thousands on things we didn't need. I would lie to my husband about the price of things I bought and my friends began avoiding me whenever I asked them if they want to come shopping," divulges Trupti.

Fortunately Trupti realised her shopaholism in time and took to Yoga to help her overcome her addiction.