The writer is a clinical psychologist in Washington, DC who specialises in shopping addiction

Impulse-buy moments can happen to anyone. One evening last winter, I found myself tapping “buy” on a $300 sequin jumpsuit I will probably never wear. After months of being cooped up in virtual lockdown, I had an irresistible urge to acquire the carefree, Studio 54-type of life that the jumpsuit represented, even though my disco days have long been over.

Since the pandemic began, I have received a stream of requests for advice on how to curb shopping compulsions. Despite rising unemployment and economic struggles, online spending keeps breaking records. In the UK, the proportion of retail sales made online rose to 36 per cent in February, up from 20 per cent in the same month the previous year. Shoppers in the US deserted malls on Black Friday and instead spent $9bn online. This web-based activity may dip as shops open back up, and people feel comfortable in them again. But there’s unlikely to be a full or lasting reversal.