The recent tabloid sting involving the Duchess of York has elicited plenty of schadenfreude in the British press.

The Duchess, it appears, is by her own admissionvirtually penniless after her divorce from the Duke of York left her with only 15,000 pounds a year. That's a modestincome for anyone, but especially so for someone who confesses to an 'overspending disease' and penchant for private jets and luxury goods.

In an article on the BBC News Magazine, U.K. psychotherapist Benjamin Fry, who co-presents BBC Three's Spendaholics program, says giving up the bling can be traumatic.

'It's the change in circumstances that's difficult... She could have accepted she was poor but wouldn't know who she was. The alternative was to do something I'm sure she didn't really want to do.'

He says wealth can become an addictive drug, needed most by the insecure.

'People do overspend because they've got a low sense of self worth. If you feel very small on the inside and present yourself as very big on the outside, it's compensation.'

'The way to cope is to try really hard to invest in non-material sources of wealth - family, relationships, community or self care.'

Easier said perhaps than done. After all, spending habits die hard - especially among the wealthy.

Do you think there are rich (or formerly rich) people in the U.S. being forced to cut back dramatically on spending?

Robert Frank

• admission [əd´miʃən] n.接纳；承认 (初中英语单词)
• divorce [di´vɔ:s] n.离婚 vt.同....离婚 (初中英语单词)
• modest [´mɔdist] a.谦虚的；朴素的 (初中英语单词)
• income [´inkʌm] n.收入，所得 (初中英语单词)
• luxury [´lʌkʃəri] n.奢侈(品)；享受 (初中英语单词)
• program [´prəugræm] n.说明v.为...安排节目 (初中英语单词)
• wealth [welθ] n.财富，财产 (初中英语单词)
• invest [in´vest] v.投资；授予 (初中英语单词)
• formerly [´fɔ:məli] ad.从前，以前 (初中英语单词)
• duchess [´dʌtʃis] n.公爵夫人；女公爵 (高中英语单词)
• community [kə´mju:niti] n.团体；社区；公众 (高中英语单词)
• virtually [´və:tʃuəli] ad.实际上，实质上 (英语四级单词)
• alternative [ɔ:l´tə:nətiv] a.二中选一的 n.选择 (英语四级单词)