Example:
retail therapy: spending money is control, power. spending it on something you want is self indulgent. It is a distraction to the depression...as are most ways to self medicate. They distract us from how bad we are feeling about our lives, ourselves.

A lot of depression has to do with boundaries we had when we were children which were crossed repeatedly. By having some control over something or someone we feel 'in charge' the opposite of the way we usually feel.